Scattered Ambitions
by tracefan
Summary: Some people want to be remembered, and some want to change the world. Then there are those caught in the middle, trapped between the conflict of destructive ambitions...where the only thing they can do is join the struggle with their own lives at stake.
1. First Morning

Morning had come, and the sun cast a fantastic orange glow over the horizon. In the trees above, birds were singing their praises for life, and the bubbling stream was musical in its own right. I sat among the water, my gaze upon the flitting shapes beneath the surface, my reflection distorted by the ripples. My right paw was at the ready, hovering over the water in anticipation of my coming meal. All was normal, and quiet, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

A flash of orange and my paw descended, breaking the water's surface with barely a splash, and I felt my paw contact a fish and catapult it onto the shore, where it floundered. I leapt onto the shore and quickly killed it, examining my catch afterwards. A beautiful capture and a brisk morning breeze...two more little plusses to my early day.

My name is Syren. It's a name I'm actually rather fond of, although most of my friends call me by the monosyllabic version of 'Sy'. By most of my friends, I mean 'both'. I suppose one could call me the quiet type. It's not that I'm shy, quite the contrary to be honest, but I don't really bond well with people. I feel oppressed in prolonged company, and I have been away from family for most of my life. It's a quiet life, but it's peaceful as well.

I am a Buizel, a female to be precise, and have been residing at this stream for at least a year. The most company I get is from Aeris, or from passerby seeking a drink or a nightly stay. It's a nice place, with a fine view of the sunrise, some shade from a large tree, and plenty of fresh water with a healthy supply of fish.

Today had started like any other day, although radically more positive, so I was content to listen to nature's sounds and observe the rising sun while washing any dirt that accumulated overnight within my streamlined fur. It was at this time that I heard the ever-familiar calling of my name, accompanied by a rather upbeat humming.

I didn't even need to look up before the pale purple form of Aeris descended upon the stream, her gliding wings extending at the last few seconds to slow her fall and cause her to tumble gently on the grass beside me. Aeris grinned at me, her bat-like wings folding over her chest. I could already see the excitement in her eyes.

"Morning Sy!" she squealed. Looks like I wasn't the only one in a great mood today. I gave her a smile in return and waited for her to explain herself. Asking was pointless because she'd complain about being rushed; all while rattling on about whatever it was that had spiked her mood. "Guess what!"

That's a trick statement. No matter what, you can never, ever successfully guess what Aeris wants to tell you. I've tried many times, and either I'm a horrible guesser or she changes the answer. I paused for pseudo-thought. "Um...you got engaged to a Scolipede?"

Aeris blinked in surprise. "Who told?" she asked, giggling hysterically at my double-take. "Nope! Just kidding...good guess, though."

"I try," I answered pleasantly. Okay, so maybe I stretched the guesses into absurdity at time, but the more logical guesses, like finding treasure, were never right.

"I found treasure!" she squealed. _Damn it_. "Guess what it is!"

"Um..." I seriously paused to consider it. Aeris was more fond of shiny objects than anything else, so I could probably guess something silver and be close enough, but then again, she also enjoyed bland rocks that she believed were either ancient (like all rocks) or fossils. "I'm going to go with a silver candlestick."

Aeris giggled, covering her mouth with one pinchered claw. "Why a candlestick?" she asked, when she finally managed to speak again.

I shrugged. "Beats my other guess. What'd you find?"

"I found bland rocks!" Okay, fine, she didn't actually say that. But let's face it, that's what she showed me. It was a large rectangular stone of some kind, like a miniaturized tablet, and a purple color that was darker than the Gligar's normal hue. Not that this was saying much, considering the aforementioned scorpion-bat was covered in a thick layer of dust that made her appear pinkish-brown.

"This constitutes treasure to you now?" I asked. I'm not surprised at all, but you see what I mean about her being notoriously difficult to guess anything about?

"That's not the best part!" Aeris insisted, giddy with excitement. Even while seated, she was bouncing on her legs, eager to share something with me. I'm not surprised she's my best friend. Opposites attract, last I heard. "Guess where I found it!"

Anyone with less patience would have sighed, or face-palmed, or glared at her. Honestly, her guessing games are fun as hell to play, so that worked for me. "Let's see...in a pile of diamonds?" I asked. Okay, so they're fun when you try to think of the most ludicrous answer possible with the awareness that Aeris is completely unfazed by the dumb response.

"Nope!" Aeris giggled. I chuckled and took another bite from the fish I had left half-eaten. "In a Beedrill nest!" She squealed when I spat my mouthful out, choking a little and staring at her with genuine bewilderment.

"What?"

"Yup!" Aeris replied proudly. "They were buzzing around and trying to keep it from me, so I said their queen's been nesting with Caterpie!"

"And you're not dead," I mused, prodding her just to make sure. Aeris grinned widely. "So after you revealed your death wish, then what happened?"

"Then I turned around and spanked myself," Aeris said. It's amazing how she can say things like that without sounding like she was pulling my leg. Even worse is that I can honestly see her doing that. It's too stupid to make up.

"And?" I prompted.

Aeris giggled again. "They didn't like that." _And the award for the most shocking revelation in history goes to...something that's not this._

I turned the flat stone over in my paws, examining it more closely. The fact it was a near-perfect rectangle seemed interesting, but I wouldn't consider it valuable. It was unlabeled and seemed rather non-descript in every sense of the word. What was something like this doing in a Beedrill nest, anyway? That is assuming Aeris wasn't exaggerating her story, but the Gligar was honest enough that I was able to dismiss those doubts.

"So how did you get away with this?" I asked, holding it out to her.

Aeris smiled and took the stone from me, clutching it close to her chest. She then launched into an epic tale where she took on four of the insects at once, maneuvering through their combined charge by ducking and weaving. As she spoke, she stood and re-enacted her moves, some more dramatic than others, all while gesturing wildly with her wings. It was a gripping tale to say the least, greatly aided by her flourishes, but when she finished with a casual "And then I escaped", I couldn't let that pass.

"Just like that, huh?" I chuckled. "I believe that's filed under 'anti-climax', where the story's buildup fails to deliver in the ending."

Aeris giggled, unperturbed by my critique. "Well, that's what happened! Ooh! And guess what!"

"You found a cure for Pokerus?"

"I've got a date!" Aeris squealed, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. She certainly doesn't give life a chance to catch up with her, does she? In one morning, she taunted a swarm of Beedrill, stole a bland rock from them, and got a date.

"That's very ambitious of you," I chuckled. "Any more bombshells you plan on dropping on me now?"

"Nope, we're good!" Aeris agreed, flopping herself down on the grass in a sitting position and promptly seizing the rest of my fish, eating what was left before I could stop her. Just another typical morning.

My attention quickly returned to Aeris' find and I picked it up again to study it. Really, it's that I have nothing better to focus on. Aeris herself was a handful, and her dusty body drove me crazy sometimes. She was constantly on the lookout for various treasures and valuables and never bothered to wash thoroughly after her escapades. I swear, if I had to go around my life covered in dust and dirt, I'd go crazy. Being a water-type did have its advantages though, where cleanliness was concern, but I digress. As I held the tablet up to the light, I noticed faded markings on one side of them, nearly impossible to notice if you weren't looking carefully. I ran my paw over the edges of the markings, frowning to myself.

"What is it?" Aeris asked eagerly, climbing onto my back and peering over my shoulder. I winced at her weight, and Aeris adjusted her position accordingly. It was no less uncomfortable, but at least it didn't hurt.

"I'm not sure," I said honestly. "It looks like writing or something is engraved in this, but I can't read it."

"Human writing or another language?" Aeris wondered. As if there's much difference between the two when you can't read.

"It says '_Gar. Gligar. Gli gli gar'_," I answered sarcastically. "Really, what do you think?"

"Well," Aeris paused thoughtfully. "Two 'gli' before 'gar' means...to prepare for something, I think. Tone usually helps, though." I have to remember how incredibly oblivious to sarcasm Aeris can be.

"Never mind, I can't read it," I said, shaking my head. Aeris leaned forward and her eyes scanned the engraving, as if determined to find some hidden meaning in the style of lettering. "So what, should we go find Brio and ask him?"

"Sure!" Aeris chirped, leaping to her feet and plucking the stone from my paws. "I want to tell him about my day!"

I chuckled. Brio was sure to get a kick out of that story, and probably wouldn't mind our company. There was only one problem: Brio didn't live in the area. To my knowledge, he didn't even have a den of his own, and instead spent the majority his time in the city a quarter mile from here. Worse, he stayed inside a public building that probably didn't take too kindly to wild Pokémon coming in on a whim and disrupting the atmosphere.

That would be an obstacle to tackle later. If Brio was allowed in, there could very well be a window of opportunity for Aeris or me to go see him, even if we had to relocate after the meeting. I stretched and got to my feet, Aeris shifting her weight excitedly.

"Ready?" she asked brightly. At my nod, she giggled. "Then let's go!"


	2. Meeting Brio

The trees around Aeris and I began to thin out after about fifteen minutes of walking, and the Gligar eagerly gestured ahead of us. "I see the city!" she said cheerfully, waving the strange treasure around in her claw.

"Well spotted," I remarked, gazing down the hill at the clustering of buildings and artificial shelters that made up the city. Being only a quarter mile or so from my living space, I could see the city gates whenever I so wished, so Aeris' excitement was really unnecessary. The only reason it had taken us so long to get to this point was that we chose to go through a denser forested area to avoid humans that would be taking the path between cities. I was very fond of my independent, free life-style, and attracting the interest of a Pokémon trainer was not exactly what I wanted at this stage of my life.

Without the shelter of trees to hide us, I picked up my pace. The sooner we reached the city limits, the safer it would be. There was a known mandate in that town that Pokémon trainers were not permitted to battle or capture wild Pokémon unless they were conspicuously dangerous or a nuisance to the public. Neither Aeris nor I fit that description, so we could drop our guards there, but until then, we were fair game. Fortunately, our vantage point confirmed that there were no humans presently in our path, confirming that we could head directly to the city without adjusting our course further.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Aeris studying her prize with child-like enthusiasm. I smiled to myself. Aeris really was one of those people who were still kits at heart. Even as life went by, she always tried to find something good about each day and each person, and made the most of her experiences, for better or worse. Even though she was holding something that, in my opinion, was little more than interesting junk, she was more than willing to accept that it had more value than that. If she was wrong, and she had been before, then she used it as trade fodder for something better. It was a cycle for her.

As we walked into the city limits, Aeris' excitement grew. The humans scattered about the streets attracted the Gligar's eye, whereas my focus was far more on our destination. I had only seen the building once or twice, and had never gone inside, so I first needed to navigate to the general area of the place before I could identify it and find Brio.

"Aeris, this way," I said, the Gligar happily following me down one of the streets. Not content with simply walking, she continuously kicked off the ground to glide a few feet, and repeated upon landing. I chuckled to myself, turning my head to get a better view of where we were going. It's so much more confusing when there are so many people and buildings around; it was making me feel claustrophobic, with how even the smaller buildings towered over my head. Trees at least presented me with a feeling of safety, of natural shelter.

The Gligar abruptly stopped short. "Found it!" she announced, jabbing one of her claws in the direction of a large white stone building. There was a sign by the door labeling it, but my eyes passed over the lettering in favor of the carving of an open book that served as a secondary label.

"Good job," I agreed, climbing up the stairs leading up to the main entrance. However, when I reached the door, it refused to budge. I grunted, nearly falling over from the exertion of tugging on the handle with no result. Aeris climbed up the stairs after me to see what the holdup was, and she tried opening the door as well, with the same results.

"Wow, what do they do to these?" Aeris marveled, as I flopped down on the stairs in defeat.

"Barricade with rocks, I'm sure," I sighed. Now what could we do? If Brio was inside, and we couldn't get in, we hit a dead end. Then a realization hit me like a pile of the aforementioned hypothetical rocks. "Oh duh! We could just wait until a human goes inside! They're strong enough to open the doors, right?"

"Good point!" Aeris squealed, plopping down on the steps beside me and gazing around at the street a dozen steps below us. "So...how long might that take?"

I laughed, looking up at the door again. "No idea. I don't think this is a popular human hangout. Brio loves it, but let's face it, no one's going to come here so early in the morning, and-"

"Sy?" a male voice called out, startling me from my sentence, and I turned my head around so fast that I winced. "Aeris? Um...what are you two doing here?"

Rubbing my neck, I turned my attention to the quadruped gracefully ascending the stairs. His fur was pale blue, bordering on white, and looking carefully revealed the fur frozen into needle-like quills that were painstakingly groomed flat. Two flaps dangled on either side of his head, ending in a dark blue tip that matched similarly colored markings on his feet and tail. He had his head cocked curiously to the side as he sat down a few steps beneath us.

"Hey Brio!" Aeris said. I moved quickly enough to hold her back from tackling the Glaceon. Brio flinched at her sudden movement, only settling down when Aeris was restrained. "Guess what!"

Brio gave the Gligar a blank look. "I don't know. What?"

"Guess!" she insisted.

Brio shot an inquisitive look at me and I shrugged with a pleasant smile. Aeris wanted to have her fun, and I wasn't going to ruin that. Finally, the Glaceon sighed. "You..." As he drew the word out, he started looking towards me for cues, and I very pointedly avoided eye contact. Nice try, Brio, but you have to play her game. "...learned how to read?" he guessed finally, shrugging helplessly.

"Nope!" Aeris answered gleefully.

"Then why are you two at the library?" Brio wondered. "It's not even open yet. It opens at 8. It's only ten to." He paused thoughtfully before adding, "Why are you two even in the city?"

"Guess!" I don't think anyone has to wonder who said that.

Brio again passed me a pleading look, but I just grinned. Aeris is so much fun. The fact Brio is honestly horrible at guessing games, as opposed to my playful attitude towards them, just adds to the fun. "You're...pretending to be the mate of...a rich...Eevee?"

Aeris and I just stared at him. To put that into perspective, Aeris swallows my deliberately absurd answers without missing a beat. The Glaceon's cheeks flushed and he muttered something about having 'read that somewhere'.

"Maybe you spend too much time in fiction, Brio," I mused, shaking my head and trying to control my silent laughter.

"Why are you two here?" Brio interjected defensively, his ears drooping a bit.

"Looking for you, you icy dope," I chuckled. Brio blinked blankly again. "Oh look, Aeris, he's starting to remember that he has friends," I teased. The Gligar giggled and slid down three stairs, holding her treasure out to the Glaceon. He blinked at it, then back at her, then at me with the same inquisitive stare. It's amazing how often he looks like a Stantler caught by a Flash technique.

"What's this?" he asked.

Aeris looked offended. "It's my treasure! Guess what it is!" Cue Brio's look of horrified exasperation. "Come on, guess!"

"Your...treasure?" he tried tentatively. Aeris pouted.

"Cheating!"

"We don't know what it is, either," I said, taking pity on the Glaceon. "We wanted to find out if you knew, and if you could read what's written on it."

Brio was about to respond, but a click from behind me tore his focus away. A smiling human woman had just opened the door, and the Glaceon promptly climbed up the stairs, as if instinct itself was bidding him forward.

"Good morning, Glaceon," the woman said, stroking Brio behind the ears, prompting loud, happy purrs from the ice type. Aeris stared at the human's hand enviously, while I raised my eyebrow subtly. "You're the first one here, as usual, and after I shelve the returns, I can read to you until the early browsers come in. How does that sound?"

Brio purred happily, nuzzling the woman's hand and following her inside with a flick of his tail, completely forgetting us. Aeris recovered first, launching herself forward and catching the door before it closed. I closed my open jaw and shook myself, getting to my feet and helping Aeris pry the door open enough for us to get inside.

It wasn't exactly difficult to find where the two had gone. It was a very small entrance room and an open door leading to a massive, brown carpeted room with rows and rows of shelves, all filled to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes. The ceiling towered above us like a blank sky and I felt dizzy just looking around. Aeris, on the other paw, was looking rather enthusiastic; her eyes scanning each row of books as if they were glittering diamonds.

Near the entrance was a large brown table, upon which Brio was seated, watching the human walking amongst the shelves with stacks of books in her arms. His tail dangled off the table and flicked with subtle enthusiasm, broadcasting clearly to me the fact I could never imagine feeling myself: This human building was essentially his _home_. I entertained myself with the thought of tugging his tail hard enough to pull him off, but quickly pushed that away. I hate having my tails pulled; being a hypocrite at Brio's expense was too malicious.

"Hey, Brio!" I called up to him.

The Glaceon jumped as if he had been stung by a Beedrill, whirling on me and hissing "Shhh!"

I blinked. "Did...did you just shush me?"

The Glaceon scowled, but settled down. "This is a library!" he whispered, glaring at me with an uncomfortable amount of anger in his eyes. Oh wow, I must have actually done something to offend him or something.

"Sorry," I muttered before continuing at normal volume, "So, we were-"

"Shhh!" Brio whispered aggressively. "Whisper if you have to talk!"

"Seriously?" Aeris is going to piss him off in here, if that's his stance. Fortunately, the Gligar was..."Oh no, where's Aeris?"

"You...let her in?" Brio demanded, sitting up and staring around in a slight panic. "Did she touch anything?"

"Did I enter the cathedral by mistake?" I deadpanned, backtracking to where I had last seen the Gligar. Sheesh, I've never seen Brio so uptight. There was a light thud behind me and I knew without checking that Brio had hopped off the table and was no doubt looking for the Gligar.

Fortunately, Aeris hadn't gone far. She was seated on the floor, trying to pry a large volume from a lower shelf, a feat made more difficult by the fact her pincher claws were not exactly made for gripping a book tightly squeezed between two dozen other books. "Hey Sy!" she chirped loudly.

I swear I could hear Brio's blood pressure rising, even though he didn't say anything. He was at our side in moments. "Aeris, don't touch anything," he pleaded, in a much nicer tone than he had used when scolding my volume. Everyone loves Aeris, it seems.

"Sorry," Aeris chirped. "So what is this?" she asked, sticking the treasure under the Glaceon's nose. He sighed, glancing over at the human, who was still navigating the shelves.

"Fine, fine, let me see it," he muttered. "But when Alyssa's done, she's going to read to me, and I only get that for a half-hour or so a day, so if I still need to help you, it'll have to be after that."

I blinked. "Why do you need her to read to you? I thought you knew how to read on your own."

"I do," the Glaceon said, jerking his head for us to follow him, and leading the way towards one of the cushioned chairs spread out around a table, in a section away from the shelves. "And she knows it. But I like following along when she reads, and she's busy with her job for the rest of the day, so..."

He hopped up onto a chair and I climbed up after him, sitting down on his left. Aeris tossed her treasure onto the chair and scurried up as well, sitting to Brio's right. The Glaceon glanced between us with a mild frown, but didn't object. Instead, he placed the stone onto the table in front of him, frowning again when Aeris rested her head on his shoulder.

"So where's this writing?" he asked, turning the stone around uncertainly. It took a few seconds to locate it, but I soon pointed it out to him. He peered over the faded lettering. "Oh, I see it. One second...the lighting's not that good," he murmured, using a paw to tilt the stone towards him, so that the lighting from the ceiling hit it at a different angle.

"Can you read it?" I pressed. Brio nodded.

"It says-"

"All done, Glaceon!" the human's voice called out. Brio's ears perked up, and he immediately hopped off the chair, the stone clattering on the table loudly. Aeris yelped, but inspection of the stone confirmed no damage.

I stifled my laughter at the Gligar's indignation. "How did I know that would happen?"


	3. Huntress

I normally love when it's quiet. I could spend hours just sitting outside, basking in the sunlight, and hearing nothing but the wind in the trees and the bubbling of flowing water. Right now, however, I was being driven crazy by the silence. It was too quiet, more of a forbidding, ominous feel instead of luxurious peace. Even with Aeris next to me, the entire building was as silent as death.

It was as if the books sitting silently on shelves were watching us, daring us to make a sound so that they could fling themselves off their perches like Zubat and tear into us. Ugh, there's a pleasant thought. Guess imagination still does play tricks on people.

Unable to sit still any longer, I pushed off the chair and walked across the carpet. Aeris flopped off the chair after me without hesitation, and I could hear her moving behind me. More unnerving than the silence was the subtle realization that even the excitable Gligar wasn't making much sound, whether it be talking, humming, or tapping the stone like she had done so many times on the way here. The silent human building was feeling more and more like a cage with each passing minute, oppressing me from speaking to break the silence, and closed in on all sides, burying the view of sunlit windows behind shelves of books as far as the eye could see.

In contrast, Brio seemed extremely comfortable with these surroundings. We found him curled up comfortably on a cushioned chair beside the human, who was whispering to him as she held a book in her hands, holding it partly to the side so he could simultaneously study the pages. Every time she turned a page, she paused to give him a few strokes on the head. I glanced over at Aeris, verifying she wasn't wandering off. She had that little tendency to get into trouble the moment I turned my tails to her, and Brio was far too defensive of this place for me to let my guard down. That didn't mean Aeris was necessarily a frustrating individual to manage; she just liked to examine things she shouldn't.

I took some comfort in the fact that Brio was so at ease here. Without him, I'd find the persistent presence of the human female to be another layer of tension that the place held. At the same time, I didn't really want to draw attention to myself or Aeris, simply because I still didn't think the library supported Pokémon clients. Brio very well could be the sole exception; in the rare times he mentioned the library, he never once led me to believe that Pokémon were normally allowed in the building. Surely most humans would be unaccommodating to potentially wild creatures roaming a fragile environment. Still, I never asked why Brio was given special treatment, and I could see as clear as day that this 'Alyssa' girl was extremely fond and familiar with the Glaceon.

There was a sudden click of the door and the sound of soft human footsteps coming across the carpet. I immediately began walking further away from the approaching sounds and nearer to the furniture where Brio was laying. The woman whispered something in the Glaceon's ear, closing the book and setting it beside him before rising to her feet and returning to the large desk near the front. As she passed, she gave me a small smile, but her eyes spoke of suspicion and unease, which I'm sure I returned. Aeris waved, and while I didn't see the human's expression, the Gligar followed me with a cheerful air.

"Can you get back to this now, Brio?" I asked, circling around the chair and climbing up to sit beside him. The ice Eon glanced up, blinking as if he had forgotten we were there, but sat up and nodded.

"All right, let me see it again," he said, holding out his paw towards Aeris, blinking when Aeris pulled it out of his reach with a defensive jerk.

"Don't drop it this time," she said. Only at Brio's nod did she offer it to him, letting it fall onto the cushion between them. Brio turned the tablet over in his paw, studying the faded writing. A few second passed before anyone spoke. I watched his eyes. They had a certain life to them that was difficult to see if you hadn't spent time with him. When he was deeply intrigued by a subject, or thinking hard, his eyes positively shown with interest, and it was this expression he wore now.

"_So great was the destructive potential that none but the Original was allowed to reign over impurity__..._," Brio read aloud, looking up with a thoughtful smile. My spine tingled. I couldn't be sure if it was the words, his tone, or the silence that caused it, but there was another problem: It made no sense.

"That sounds so cool!" Aeris squealed, taking the tablet back into her claw and studying the inscription with uncomprehending, excited eyes. "Now I definitely want to-"

Her statement cut off as a yelp of shock as a strong green rope coiled around her 'wrist' and delivered a sharp tug, flinging the tablet from her pincher. As if in slow motion, I watched it spin in the air before a second rope seized it in midair, letting it hang there like a puppet.

And that's when I saw her.

I say 'her' because that was the immediate vibe I picked up. Standing several feet away from us was a bipedal green and tan snake-like creature. Vibrant red eyes gazed upon the hovering tablet, and I could see now that the rope had really been a vine of some sort, coming from one of the protruding leaves on the semi-serpent's back. It had a distinct, yellow collar, and its paws were tiny, justifying the use of vines. It was the eyes that had the most life, and a small, triumphant smirk was plastered over its snake-like face.

Aeris recovered first. "Hey!" she shouted, her tone furious, all cuteness immediately drained from her voice. "That's mine!"

Brio didn't scold her for the outburst, but his needle-like fur bristled as he turned to face the antagonistic presence. He narrowed his eyes, and then they widened again in what I probably misinterpreted as recognition. The obvious grass-type ignored Aeris, the vine receding until the pilfered tablet was close to her face.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, standing up. It was unspeakably rude to just take something from someone else without asking permission, and Aeris was likely to throw a fit if it wasn't returned in a timely fashion. Manners missing or not, I wanted to avoid a conflict if possible, an opinion that didn't seem to be shared by the other Pokemon.

The scarlet eyes of the serpent focused upon me, and the expression of triumphant dismissiveness did not change. "I am studying my new acquisition," the voice was clearly effeminate, yet carried a strange feeling of power and confidence that was not immediately evident from the body language. I was expecting something more stoic.

"Acquisition?" I repeated, tensing slightly. That didn't sound like something Aeris would like to hear. The grass-type chuckled softly and did not reply, turning away, back towards the door. Before she had taken more than a step, Aeris caught on to what was happening.

"Give it back!" Aeris practically screamed, climbing over the back of the couch and launching herself at the grass-type. At most, the opponent may have shifted her weight, but in a moment, Aeris found herself in the grip of a vine, the tablet dangling just out of her reach. "Let me go!" Aeris shouted, doing everything she could to strike at the grass serpent, but with no success; she was out of range. Even her scorpion tail was nowhere near the body of her foe.

I glared, inhaling in preparation to launch a jet of water. Brio gave a choked yell and pushed me down before I could even aim. I cursed, shoving him back and glaring at his interference. "No attacks!" he pleaded, unfazed by my response. I blinked. What was he talking about? Why shouldn't I help Aeris? "The books! Don't harm the books!" he insisted.

"Silly girl," the grass type said, regarding Aeris' failed attack. A vibrant green glow surrounded the grass-type's body and I shuddered, feeling a sudden disturbance in the room, as if there was an increase of gravity around the opponent. With a simple flick of the vine, Aeris was cast aside, her body crashing against the bookshelves with a loud thump, and several more as the bookshelf teetered, dropping several of the heavy books to the floor.

"Hey!" the human's voice called out and she appeared at once, a fearsome glare upon her face. The intruder turned to her without an ounce of fear. "You, Servine! If you're going to cause trouble, you're going to have to-"

"Leave?" the evidently named Servine guessed, her eyes bulging slightly. With a flick of her left arm, a blade-like leaf extended and she brandished the blade towards the human with a threatening air. "I fully intend to, for my hunt is complete. I advise you to step down. No… this is your warning to stand down."

The human stopped short at the sight of the leaf blade, but she did not back away. Her hands tensed and clenched into fists, eyes scanning the shelves. I wanted nothing more than to hurl myself at this Servine and get back Aeris' treasure, but it was also clear that there was nothing I could do without escalating the situation.

"Wise choice," the Servine whispered. The green glow shimmered and seemed to become absorbed into its chest, and at that infinitesimal moment, I saw a dangling rectangle tied around the Servine's neck, identical in all ways to Aeris', only green. With a single movement, the grass-type seemed to disappear from the room and the door slammed shut.

I blew out my breath and hurried over to Aeris, who was getting to her feet with a dazed expression, rubbing her head. Several books had fallen around her from when she had slammed into the shelf, but overall, she didn't appear seriously injured.

"Ow," she mumbled, tears in her eyes. She stumbled a bit, and I caught her in my arms, holding her close to my stomach for support. "Sy? Why'd she take my treasure?" The Gligar looked up at me pleadingly. "I really liked that one..."

I didn't know what to say. I had no answers. Turning to Brio, I could practically see the gears turning in his head. His expression was troubled, and even angry, yet there was a logical thoughtfulness in his eyes, a counterpoint to the emotions brewing within him. Just the sight of his expression sent an anxious flutter through my stomach. I had never seen him quite like this before.

"Brio?" I asked, fidgeting a little. His expression was starting to scare me, coupled with his silence. "What is it?"

"…nothing. It's nothing," Brio answered, but I knew he was lying. How could he not be?


	4. Questions and Aftermath

"Let's go over this one more time," barked the orange canine, sitting in front of the three of us with a leer in his eyes.

"Tenth time's the charm?" I retorted pleasantly. The Growlithe's expression didn't change. If anything, he became even more stoic and business-like. Brio nudged me in the back pointedly and I went silent. Fact was, I didn't think there was anything I could add to the interview at this point.

Barely five minutes had passed after the Servine left when a pair of humans in uniforms, accompanied by this Growlithe, had come into the library. According to Brio, the librarian was required by city law to alert the authorities should any security or safety threat occur on the premises. Being the only Pokémon in the library, the Growlithe had quickly focused upon us to explain our side of the story. Unfortunately, he was also prone to forcing us to retell the story several times, as if our very limited number of facts would be amiss with each recantation.

Near the back of the room, the two policemen were talking to the librarian, at a far enough distance where all I could hear was dim chatter. I would have expected a building as silent as death would let sounds carry farther, but I'm no expert, and while Brio would probably know, it wasn't exactly a relevant topic.

Aeris was sulking, for lack of a better term. When she was questioned directly, she replied in a dull voice and kept quiet the rest of the time. Brio was quickly growing impatient with the repetitive questioning, and I... was perfectly fine. Sure, it was annoying to repeat myself every five minutes for the sake of the Growlithe's limited memory span, but the only real change was thinking of a more creative way of telling the exact same story.

The problem then was the story wasn't interesting without adding any embellishments that, as Brio hissed to me the first time I started to do so, wouldn't help us. I was now at a loss of what could help us, since the Growlithe's skepticism was overwhelming.

"We were here-" I began, but the Growlithe cut in.

"Where?"

"Uh...couple miles away, at a bagel shop," I replied. Where else could we be if I say 'here'?

"On the couch," Brio answered weakly, slapping his tail against my back as subtly as possible. Oh right, the whole 'not helping' thing.

"Go on, Miss Buizel," the Growlithe stated, giving me a stern look.

"Syren," I corrected. I've said that every time he called me by my species, but so far he hadn't acknowledged that I even had a name. Is it any wonder I'm going out of my way to be contrary? "Anyway, so we're at the bagel shop, and this Servine comes up behind us and lassoes Aeris' little tablet thing-"

"What tablet thing?" the Growlithe interrupted. Okay, now I wanted to roll my eyes. We still hadn't managed to label it in an acceptable fashion since we didn't know what it was, and we could hardly produce the object in question when reporting it stolen.

"Some purple stone with writing on it," I responded, waving a paw dismissively. Aeris made an angry sound under her breath, which was promptly ignored by the questioning canine. "So it gets lassoed and pulled away, and Aeris demands it back, and is ignored-"

"How did she get this...tablet thing?" the Growlithe asked, suddenly narrowing his eyes at Aeris suspiciously. She mumbles something. "Speak up, Miss Gligar!" the canine snaps. Aeris jerks her head up, wiping her eyes with a claw.

"Found it," she said quietly, looking down again.

"Where?"

"At the end of a rainbow," I interjected. "Now, as I was saying, the Servine snatches it up and Aeris rushes her, but gets caught by a vine and thrown across the room into that shelf."

I pointed my paw at the aforementioned shelf, where a visible indentation could be seen in the wood, and several books were still scattered on the ground. The Growlithe cast that direction a single glance and nodded.

I took a breath before continuing, "And that's when what's-her-name-"

"Alyssa," Brio supplied.

"Thank you, Brio. That's when Alyssa come over and told her she'd have to leave, only to get a Leaf Blade shoved in her face," I finished.

"Before, you said the Servine just waved it around," the Growlithe growled.

"She did, I wasn't being literal," I answered with a sweet smile. The Growlithe sighed and shook his head.

"This...Servine," he said slowly, his gaze resting on each of us, but lingering the longest upon me. I returned the stare without fear. He had been trying to intimidate me the most so far, probably because I was the most talkative member while Aeris was out of it. "Any particular details you can give me about it?"

I considered for a moment. "Female? I don't know, I've never seen the species before today. It was only because Alice-"

"Alyssa," Brio corrected.

"Whatever. She mentioned her species," I said, pointing my paw back towards the librarian.

"There are no wanted Servine in the area," the canine growled. "So she's not a serial criminal that we know of. What would the motive be? Libraries aren't exactly prime looting spots, so does she know any of you personally, perhaps? Revenge or something of that nature?"

Brio shook his head. "The only thing she took was Aeris' stone."

"And you don't even know what that was?" the Growlithe asked, a definite sneer in his tone. Why are we putting up with questions like these? He's asked them several times already, and gotten the same answers. It's not as if inspiration was going to suddenly smash us over the head and let us tap the hidden mysteries of the universe.

"Still no."

* * *

><p>And then we were finally free. The human policemen had gotten all the information they had come for, and had taken the Growlithe with them. Brio had suggested we all go out and get some air, and if it weren't for the severe awkwardness that would have ensued, I'd have kissed him for saying that. Seriously, there was nothing better than the bliss of fresh air and sunlight after being cooped up for significantly more time than I liked.<p>

The Glaceon had gone quiet once we were outside, even as he led us down the street towards the city entrance. Aeris wandered at my side, just as quiet, and while silence is golden, this was just too uncomfortable to put up with for long.

"So now what?" I ventured. If I had to guess, Brio was going to escort us home, or at least outside the city, but I wasn't sure how long he was going to stick with us after that.

"I want my treasure back," Aeris answered promptly, as if she had been waiting for the question. "I'm going to get it back!" she said, with far more emotion in her voice. My ears perked up a little. She was starting to sound like her old self again, and that could only be a good sign. We had gotten out of the conflict intact, and if only she could perk up the rest of the way, we'd be back to normal.

Brio stopped and Aeris nearly collided with him, saving herself the tumble by vaulting herself onto the Glaceon's back and placing her pinchers around his neck to hold herself in place. Brio glanced back at her, while I grinned. This was just too cute for words.

"Aeris," Brio began, hesitating to glance at me. I subtly shook my head. Nothing he could say would convince Aeris she'd be better off without that strange tablet. Something about it intrigued her, and after Brio had read the engraving, she had been excited to have such a thing, and devastated that it had been taken from her. She wanted it back, and if she had any idea how to do so, she would try it. This was the same Gligar who deliberately taunted Beedrill. Brio blinked, but continued walking without another word on the subject.

Leaving the city was a much simpler task than going to the city. For one, avoiding humans was less of a priority because we weren't approaching a known habitat of them, and have a much better chance of seeing trainers from afar. Brio and Aeris led the way, which left me to reflect on the situation some more, without answering repetitive questions.

The Servine couldn't have just been at the library by coincidence. The Growlithe had brought up at least one interesting point: why had the Servine come in? If she was looking for something specific, she had to have known she could find it there. It wasn't until she attacked that we had even been aware of her presence, and considering we were the first ones in, that left two options in my eyes. Either she had come in with the singular human, or she had followed us somehow.

But how could she have followed us? Sure, my home wasn't exactly hidden, but I had never seen the grass type hanging around, so maybe...maybe she had been following _Aeris_. That made a great deal of sense, considering that Aeris had stolen something from the Beedrill nest she mentioned. Maybe the Servine was an ally to the hive and was asked to retrieve their property. If Aeris wanted her treasure back, there was the chance it had been returned to the Beedrill.

I looked up at the sky. "When's your date, Aeris?" I wondered. "Didn't you say around noon?" I vaguely recall her wanting to be back home by noon so she could get ready or whatever her reasoning was, but I was sure the thought had been purged from her mind after the library fiasco.

"She has a date?" Brio asked, sounding surprised. "With who?"

"No idea," I admitted with a chuckle. "Probably someone she met after mugging the Beedrill."

"Guess!" Aeris prompted. Brio and I exchanged looks.

"After you," I offered, but the Glaceon shook his head adamantly. I chuckled at his reaction before guessing. "One of the Beedrill you taunted?"

Aeris giggled and looked at Brio expectantly. He sighed, "I'm going to go with..." he paused. "How on earth would I know? I don't know any of your friends, and I can't possibly guess someone that you don't know."

"I'm not telling until you guess!" Aeris insisted, and then playfully tugged on the Glaceon's right ear flap. "Now mush!" she ordered. Brio winced, but picked up his pace. "Wheee!" the Gligar cheered.

Good, just another sign she was recovering. Poor Brio.


	5. Slippery Slope

Getting back home was a tremendous relief. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy wandering around and seeing new things, and I loved hanging around Brio and Aeris, but there was just something especially comforting about being in a familiar territory, where everything from the creek and stones was familiar and I knew where everything was in relation to anything else.

Aeris had gone off on her own, stating that she needed to get ready for her date. Further questions were playfully ignored, and at last, Brio and I let her go without further objection. No doubt by the time her date was over, she would be more than happy to spill all the details to us, barring that it didn't go disastrously.

I reclined against one of the trees, taking a deep breath. Brio sat down across from me, his eyes studying me in much the same way I've seen him staring at one of his books. I thought nothing of it at first, but after a while, the staring started to bother me a bit.

"Hey, Brio? Staring at me makes the silence awkward, so please say what's on your mind before I hit you," I said, my tails flicking. Brio's ear twitched and he considered me in continued silence. I sighed and made a playful fist with one paw.

"I'm just thinking of something," Brio said quickly, casting my paw a wary glance. I chuckled and slowly extended the paw towards him. Brio didn't flinch, but he shifted his center of gravity nearer to the ground, giving him the subtle appearance of ducking or preparing to dodge.

"I've been thinking, too, but I haven't felt obligated to stare at you yet. That could be coming in a few minutes, so stay tuned," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I want to go to the local Beedrill nest."

The Glaceon's jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"Sure, Aeris stole that tablet from them, but maybe they can give us a hint what it is, or where they got it before Aeris found it," I explained, raising a claw when Brio prepared to object. "We don't have to admit our friend stole it, okay? And what if that Servine followed Aeris to the library, because the Beedrill told her to get it back for them?"

Brio pulled a face. "I don't think that's likely."

"Well, we may as well give it a shot anyway. Nothing better to do and I've already fulfilled my quota of not doing anything this morning, so let's go."

Although I give the ice Eon credit for actually coming with me, he spent the first five minutes explaining to me in minute detail exactly what was likely to result from entering hostile territory in order to question the inhabitants about a sensitive subject and reminding them that Aeris taunted them earlier this morning. Interestingly, half his scenarios ended with us getting horribly stung, and the best case scenarios were dubbed 'anti-climaxes'. I really hope someone tells him the difference between fiction and reality soon, because the line seems to have been blurred over the years.

The Beedrill territory wasn't remotely difficult to find; all one had to do was follow the buzzing in the background. The louder the buzzing, the closer one was to the hive. Brio had fallen silent when he first caught the sound of the bees, which I appreciated, considering how discouraging his comments had become, to say nothing of how they distracted me from working out a plan of how to attack this subject.

It was only a matter of moments before the trees branched out and the buzzing was all around us. Brio and I gazed apprehensively at the trees and bushes, and I was just wondering whether there'd be some sort of ambush when a pair of yellow and black striped insects with deadly stingers on their forelegs darted into our path, buzzing impolitely near our ears, their wings a blur of motion.

"Who are you?" the Beedrill on the left demanded, the third stinger beneath its abdomen pointed towards us aggressively. The second Beedrill was watching us far more passively, yet with an evident no-nonsense attitude.

"I'm Syren." I jerked my paw towards Brio, "He's Brio. Your turn." Okay, so I wasn't expecting them to answer, but it seemed like a good way to respond. The two Beedrill exchanged glances and the second one moved forward a little.

"How may we help you two?" it asked, with a disturbing amount of tenderness to its voice. You haven't seen weird until a Beedrill of all things speaks to you like a mother to a lost child.

"Just walking around," I answered, my tails twitching slightly. "Nothing wrong with that, I hope."

"Depends on your intentions, Twin Tails," the first Beedrill interjected, the words layered with suspicion. 'Twin Tails'? That hardly seemed like an inventive name to call a Buizel. Maybe it just wasn't trying with that one. The corners of my mouth twitched. This was almost too good to pass up.

"Fun fact: my right tail is actually a tenth of an inch shorter."

"Left tail." I turned towards the Glaceon, eyebrow raised.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Your left tail is shorter," Brio repeated clearly, making a circular gesture with his paw. I looked at him blankly for a few seconds.

"You're not like...studying my tails...right?" I ventured hesitantly. I'm not usually self-conscious, but the nonchalant way he corrected me gave me the impression he had known this detail long before I brought up, and quite honestly, that was just weird. Was he just really bored whenever he didn't have a book under his nose?

Brio gave a sort of half-shrug. "I've been reading about body language, and your tails are more expressive and obvious than your facial expressions." That explained so much and yet so little.

"Ahem," one Beedrill interrupted, its eyes glaring at us. "Why are you here?"

"Just passing through, for the most part," I answered with a casual shrug. "Although, now that I think of it, I was wondering if you could answer me a question or two." It may just have been my imagination, but both Beedrill seemed to tense abruptly. I took a half-pace backwards, nearly tripping over my tails, and raised my arms slightly. "Just wondering..."

"What do you want?" the previously kinder Beedrill asked, the gentleness evaporating from its voice with every word, so that the word 'want' was practically spat.

I hesitated. My plans for initiating the sensitive topic had relied on them not turning hostile before I even asked the question. Not asking would probably aggravate them more, and improvising a different question was more trouble than it could possibly be worth, unless we really were about to get stung to death.

"I'm looking for something, um...some sort of tablet-" I ducked as one of the Beedrill jabbed a stinger at me. Holy hell, I didn't expect that reaction. Brio let out a cry of surprise and I backpedaled hastily, holding up my arms again in a desperate attempt to soothe the aggression. The Beedrill hadn't made a second strike, but the aggressive buzzing around us had seemed to get kicked up a notch. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked, my courage starting to fail me.

"You're in league with _her_, aren't you?" the aggressive Beedrill demanded. My heart sank, my mind searching for an answer, an excuse, but anything I could come up with would only confirm that I knew who Aeris was, and that couldn't end well for me.

"Who?" Brio asked, hastily pushing me out of the spotlight before I could answer. A wave of relief washed over me. That was the best thing to respond with: ignorance. If we didn't admit we knew who they were talking about, they couldn't confirm we were friends with the Gligar that mocked and robbed them.

"Don't play dumb," the Beedrill snapped. "She wanted our Plate and tore our hive apart looking for it! And I swear that if you're with her, I will brand your body with the stings of vengeance for all my kin that she harmed!"

I shuddered. Aeris never mentioned anything like that, and I couldn't believe she had harmed anyone unnecessarily. Even in self-defense, she rarely resorted to more than a few blows. She was adamant about claiming treasures, but to cause a lot of damage wasn't her style.

"Take it easy," the second Beedrill urged its partner. "We told her what she wanted to know about the Gligar, so this could all be a giant coincidence-"

"Gligar?" I repeated. Wait, so there was someone else involved, not Aeris? That would explain a lot, and make this a communication breakdown, rather than Aeris being uncharacteristically violent.

The Beedrill frowned at me. "Some cocky Gligar girl from this morning stole something from us. Then _she_ came."

"Who's this _she_ that you keep mentioning?" I asked, mimicking the insect's emphasis. This earned me a glare from all present. Evidently I wasn't helping.

"Some psychotic Servine."

"And...what is this 'Plate' that she wanted?" I asked. It was an answer I already knew (kind of), but after the communication error regarding Aeris' actions, I wanted to verify I was on the right track. Besides, it could give us some information or clue about the stolen treasure's value or origin.

The Beedrill scowled. "It was an heirloom of our hive, owned by our first queen. It had incredible sentimental value, yet that Gligar stole it and that insane Servine wanted it and was willing to cut us all down until we caved. It was all we could do to convince her it had been taken already."

That explained a great deal. The Servine hadn't been an ally of the Beedrill as I originally thought. Instead, she was another individual who wanted the tablet Aeris had taken. It may have been pure coincidence that Aeris had taken it the same day the Servine arrived, but for all I knew there were other factors or reasons there had been an incident here.

"Okay, uh...thanks for your time," I said, feeling increasingly awkward. How does one move away from a Beedrill hive without running for their lives? For that matter, I was still in shock that we had managed to get this far into a conversation.

"Hold on," the more aggressive Beedrill said and I felt a shiver run along the back of my neck for some reason I couldn't explain. "Why these questions and this interest, if you're not in league with her?"

I rolled my eyes. "If we were in league with her, why would we be looking for something she already has?"

There was a noticeable silence, absolute to the point where one could hear a pin drop. Even the buzzing of Beedrill wings had vanished, which was quite the achievement, considering the wings hadn't stopped moving. Both insects stared at me ominously and I fidgeted.

"I said something stupid, didn't I?"

"You just let slip we know Huntress has their Plate," Brio agreed, scratching his neck sheepishly. In an instant, the Beedrill pair forgot I existed and focused intently upon the ice Eon. His vaguely amused smile rapidly shifted to a look of confusion, and then finally settled on horrified realization.

"Gotta go," I said, turning on my heel, just to find a Beedrill hovering before me, foreleg pointed at my chest. "Or...not?" I ventured, cringing from the poisonous stinger.

The Beedrill almost smirked. "Not yet. It's our turn for questions now..."

That doesn't sound good.


	6. Plea Bargaining

Beedrill questioning is not at all what I'd have expected if someone tossed the phrase my way to analyze. My impression was something more in line with the victim with his or her back to a tree, with Beedrill stingers lined up in front of him, which would slowly press forward the longer the victim didn't answer in an appropriate fashion.

Firing line imagery aside, the reality involved the two of us being led to another area, where we were told to wait there, in an extremely serious, 'run and you die' sort of way. Then they disappeared among the trees, with only the buzzing in our ears reminding us that we were in Beedrill territory.

Neither of us spoke to one another. I could be taking this time to work up something to throw in Brio's face regarding the Servine and the fact he seemed to know her personally, yet never said anything, but in the same vein, it just wouldn't do any good and I might be jumping to conclusions. I probably wasn't, but... I really didn't want to hurt my friendship with him over something like this. I mean, it's not like he was helping her steal from Aeris, and he genuinely seemed to want to help out.

As for the Glaceon, he was looking around anxiously, his ears straining to catch some specific sound beyond the background noise. I opened my mouth to say something, but he suddenly held up a paw and shook his head slightly. That's when I heard the buzzing growing louder, and within moments, one of the Beedrill had returned, followed by a Pokémon I honestly could not say I was expecting.

Toxic spores of some sort drifted around its lavender body with every flap of the insect's wings. It was not a Beedrill; it was not even a bee-like Pokémon, but much more like the opposing counterpart, the Butterfree. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the regal-looking Venomoth, and a tremble of fear worked its way down my arms.

"Good morning," the Venomoth's power was easily apparent in its tone, feminine and confident. She fluttered nearer, keeping us just out of range of inhaling the dust from her wings. She did not need to sound threatening to instantly implant into my mind one very crucial tip: Do not mess with her.

"Hi?" Brio said blankly, cringing away from the light dust. I covered my mouth with my paw, wary of accidently breathing in too deeply. The Venomoth noted our reactions with visible indifference, clearly used to this type of response around her.

"I didn't say 'hi'," the Venomoth said coolly. "I said good morning, but if you wish to dispense with pleasantries before the questioning, then fine. You know the Servine who attacked us. You know what she wanted, and you know the Gligar who stole it from us. Yet you come here to mock us, knowing of our loss. Do not interrupt me, Buizel," she snapped, flapping her wings in my direction menacingly, my mouth snapping tightly shut.

Brio winced. "About that...um, we actually don't-"

"No need to lie," the Venomoth said quietly. "I don't care much for lies or excuses, and I'm not in the mood for roundabout answers. You will answer my questions promptly and without obscuration, or I'll make things much more... uncomfortable." There was a delicate malice beneath the words, like needles pricking at delicate skin.

Brio just nodded, avoiding eye contact. As much as I wanted to pity him for receiving the bulk of the Venomoth's venom, no pun intended, I also wanted a few answers from him.

"That's better," the Venomoth murmured, fluttering closer still. "The Servine who attacked us... what is her name?"

"Huntress," Brio answered, subtly backing away from the moth.

"How do you know of her?"

"She's just an acquaintance," Brio mumbled.

The Venomoth seemed skeptical, but did not press the subject yet. "Why did you come here, Glaceon? I can only assume it was to mock us, but I'm sure you have a much more entertaining answer for me."

Brio shot a glance at me nervously, but I held my tongue. Now was not a time to bait tempers with snarky comments, no matter how fun they are to make.

"We...wanted to ask, um...just things like where that Plate came from, or what it's for," Brio said, fidgeting under her gaze. I almost wish I had given him a better explanation for my interest, since my actual reasoning was that I thought the Beedrill had tried to retrieve it through the offending Servine, something that seemed incredibly stupid with present knowledge.

"Really? Our hive artifact meant that much to you?" the Venomoth practically sneered. "And the girl who stole it from us, who is she?"

Brio took a breath. From the corner of my eye, I saw the lone Beedrill making lazy circles around the two of us, stingers poised to strike at a moment's notice. If they're going for intimidation, the Venomoth alone served that purpose beyond what was necessary.

"Aeris. A friend of a friend," Brio said. I frowned. That was a dumb answer. That'll just make them ask who the friend is and that's... oh no.

Sure enough, the next question was as expected, and Brio jerked his head towards me. Thanks a lot, buddy. The Venomoth turned to face me, gazing over me in silence. I looked right back at her eyes, my tails flicking in what I really hoped was a nonchalant manner. Judging by the moth's chuckle, it wasn't.

"So this Aeris girl, why did she want our Plate?" the moth demanded.

I gave a shrug. "That's like asking why the sky is blue."

That got me blank looks all around. I tried not to smirk, even when Brio tentatively proposed, "Air particles reflect blue light?"

"Exactly," I said brightly, pivoting to face the Glaceon. "Aeris steals stuff because of whatever the heck you just said. I meant because that's the way she is!"

"Seriously, Sy," Brio groaned. "Do you have a problem with straight answers?"

"Only on Thursdays," I answered, completely deadpan, and turned back to the clearly unamused moth. "She likes collecting stuff, no matter how unnecessary."

"Does she, now?" the Venomoth whispered. The tone alone made my fur bristle. The cold smirk wasn't helping. "Then I'll give you three options."

"Multiple choice is fun."

"Shut _up_," Brio hissed under his breath. I didn't take it too hard. It's not my fault that I say stupid stuff when I'm nervous. Having a poisonous insect mere inches from your face when scattering toxins is more than a little reason to be nervous.

"Option one," the Venomoth said, raising her voice to silence us. "You bring that Gligar girl here and we'll deal with her. I heard what she said about me, and thieving is just another crime. We'll be sure to administer righteous justice in payment of her atrocities."

I shivered. The thought of Aeris receiving what this Venomoth and the Beedrill hive would consider justice was not imagery I was inclined to browse. Besides, how could I face the possibility of turning one of my best friends over to them? Even if she did steal things and taunt the victims and insult hive queens, she didn't deserve cruel penalties. She was a sweet girl with a bad habit.

"Option two," the Venomoth continued, ignoring the start of my protest. "You, your friend, and that little thief return what is ours, and we may forget this bad business. Of course, you'll be required to pay interest."

"Interest?"

"Yes. The green Plate this Huntress possesses," the Venomoth explained. I frowned. So I hadn't been imagining a similarity between the two, if the Venomoth seemed to know of it as well. But what did that mean? "Bring that and ours back, and your friend will be pardoned."

"And... what's option three?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. So far we had turning Aeris over for punishment, and going out of our way to return the valuable taken, as well as what I assumed was vengeance for whatever it was Huntress did to them when looking for their tablet.

The Venomoth chuckled, the fur on the back of my neck standing up at the sound. "The third option is you refuse and I deliver an excessive dose of toxic pollen directly to your face. You might survive it, but it's the risk that makes you think twice, isn't it?"

I gaped at her, my head feeling light. She couldn't be serious...but there was no joke in her voice. "O-option two...s-sounds great," I said.

"I thought you might say that. Of course, you can always pick one of the other options, should this one not work for you," the Venomoth said smoothly, and then chuckled, as if she was about to tell a fantastic joke. "In fact, if you take too long, we just might end up tracking your tails down and killing you."

"Heh...you're kidding, right?" Judging by Brio's disgusted look in my direction, I was grasping at straws.

"Depends on whether you have a Gligar thief in tow, doesn't it? We'll see you in three days. One way...or another," the Venomoth told us. Without waiting for a reply, the Venomoth fluttered away, the Beedrill darting around her protectively. I watched as they disappeared among the trees.

"What did you just get us into?" Brio demanded.


	7. Mail Brawl

Needless to say, Brio wasn't particularly enthused about the situation. I wasn't either, but what choice did we have? If we didn't follow through with the arrangement... well, I didn't really want to think about what would happen.

"Ever consider what Aeris will think about this?" Brio demanded, leading the way. I'm not entirely sure where we were going, because this wasn't the way back to my home, but I didn't dare ask while he was in the middle of his analytical rant.

"It crossed my mind for like a second, yeah," I retorted, my tails twitching. It's kind of hard to think of much else when the deal was that either we turn over Aeris to face torture, or we get poisoned or worse in retaliation for her actions, unless we bring the stolen tablet and a second one held by the same person who stole it from us in the first place.

Worst yet was we had a deadline before being marked by the hive. And Beedrill were frightening enough when I wasn't on their bad side, purely because I didn't live too far from their borders. Hell, I don't think I'll even be able to sleep comfortably there anymore, even if I did fulfill their demands. So much for that awesome spot.

Brio sat down abruptly. No seriously, he just sat down out of the blue. I stopped short, narrowing avoiding a collision. He glanced at me. "Why do you always walk right behind me?" he wondered. I'm going to assume that was rhetorical. And if it's not, I have only passing knowledge of what a rhetorical question actually is.

I sighed and sat down, reclining against his side, my tails twitching. To think, today had started as a normal day, and in just a couple hours, things were starting to get out of hand. Mental note: never get involved in Aeris' treasure hunting schemes. Actually, nix that note, I still will because she's my friend.

"What we need to do now," Brio said, in a tone indicating that he was drawing back on years of experience in this topic, "is to find out some more information on these Plates. Specifically, where they are."

"What are you talking about?"

Brio tilted his head at me. "You don't see it, yet?" he wondered. "It's a collection. There are at least two of them, so we need to research how big the set is, and what they do, or where they came from. Then we can-"

"Slow down there," I interrupted. "What makes you think that information even exists? What if it's a completely mundane collection and doesn't actually have any information on it because it's unimportant?"

Brio smirked knowingly. "Would you attack a Beedrill clan just to complete a collection of acorns?"

"If I'm completely insane," I scoffed. "Have we ruled that possibility out, yet? Maybe Huntress is psychotic and obsessed."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Brio said, with just a hint of dismissiveness. "So we're in agreement that we should go back to the library and-"

"Who's agreeing with you?" I protested, my voice rising in pitch. Brio frowned slightly, causing me to immediately regret my outburst.

"You don't have to come with me," he muttered. "I just thought..." he sighed and went silent. I'd be more impressed by his ability to play the guilt card if it didn't feel like sticking a hot stone against my chest.

"I just thought we could do something more productive," I said, desperately hoping he wouldn't insist on the library. I don't like it there, but I need his help out here. If he was friends with Huntress, even just an acquaintance, it would be much more useful for him to be working with me when I'm trying to find her, or convince her to give us the Plates back. It was a long shot, just like the Beedrill hive was and... This is a bad example.

Brio's ear twitched as if I had just said something borderline offensive. When he spoke, his tone was calm and patient. "I would think knowing more about what our opponent wants and where she'd go would be more useful than running around the country hoping to stumble across a specific person who is probably already doing this type of research somewhere else. It's not like she'll actually go back to my library now."

"That means she probably already has the information and we'd just be wasting time," I argued. Why couldn't he see what the priority really was?

Brio shook his head. "You and Aeris came to me because of that inscription. We never did research that, and now we have something more specific to look for. Don't lose your head, Sy. Focus on what needs to be done before you try to accomplish what should be done."

I sighed in defeat. There was no winning an argument with Brio when he starts prattling on about this sort of thing. He spoke with so much confidence as if he was an expert, and made my arguments seem childish by comparison. It was infuriating at the best of times, but over time I just went with it. His nose was buried in a book almost any time we interacted, and while I didn't see the appeal of reading, there was something within those books that made Brio tick a certain way. Maybe it was just something I wasn't meant to understand.

* * *

><p>Upon entering the city again, we became immediately aware of some sort of buzz of excitement racing through the citizens. People and Pokémon alike were slowly being guided by some invisible magnet to some specific location.<p>

"Hey, what's the commotion about?" I asked, seizing the nearest Pokémon by the arm when it tried to pass me.

"There's something happening at the post office!" was the excited answer and it dashed out of my grip down the street. I exchanged a look with Brio and he nodded, resigning himself to satisfying my curiosity, although he gave the library building a forlorn look, as if breaking a previous engagement. I've never really noticed how weird he is.

It wasn't hard to follow the noise to another, smaller human building. Brio helpfully translated the labeling sign as the 'Post Office', and the two of us craned our heads to try to see through the small mass of people, all gathering to see what the commotion was about. It took some work, but I managed to squeeze through the legs of a few people, enough to catch sight of what was going on within.

A meek-looking Cubone seemed to be somewhat cornered against the wall of the interior. In one paw, it loosely held a bone club, and the second arm was wrapped tightly around a brown paper bag, which it seemed unwilling to relinquish. The one cornering the bone Pokémon was distinctly familiar, a green bipedal lizard Pokémon with scarlet eyes and a confident smirk. I gritted my teeth, pushing past another pair of human legs until I could slip into the building itself. Now without the interference of onlookers, I could even see the green tablet tied around the Servine's neck, confirming her identity to me.

"You're still in the city?" I managed to say, mentally slapping myself for the lame statement. The Servine jerked her head up to focus upon me, and her red eyes widened in mild surprise. I guess she hadn't expected me to still be around, either. Really, what was she still doing here? Brio and I had reported the attack and theft over an hour ago. Her presence should have rang alarm bells for every police officer in town. Yet the only ones who looked concerned were the humans behind the row of counters, who clearly could see the spark of conflict.

"My patience is growing thin, Cubone. I have made you an offer that is more than generous. Now make your decision," Huntress said, her eyes back upon the trapped Cubone. He muttered something and Huntress shook her head. "I don't particularly care what your human wanted you to do. You are in possession of it; you are the one I negotiate with. That is the only way it should be."

"I...can't give it to-" the Cubone began, and Huntress rolled her eyes.

"So typical," she sneered, and turned on her heel, eyes upon me. "I expect you have a bone to pick with me?" she asked softly. "Speaking of which-" she whirled back around, a vine lashing out and coiling around the Cubone's wrist and tugging so quickly that the bone club was wrenched from his paw and skittered across the tiled floor. She flicked her left arm outwards; a green blade of energy extending from the general whereabouts of her elbow, if those tiny arms even had something like that. With a motion almost too fast to see, she brought the Leaf Blade across the Cubone's chest, a cry of pain echoing throughout the otherwise silent room.

Pandemonium broke out at once. The humans gave cries of shock, and some of them ducked down behind their counter. The gathering outside let out yells of protest and alarm. My eyes fixed upon the Cubone. He had recoiled from the blow, clutching his injured chest, the grip on the brown paper loosening until it fell to the ground with a clatter. Huntress' eyes widened in triumph and her vine extended, looping around the fallen package.

I don't know what made me spring into action then, but I charged, letting loose a spray of water over the ground and skidding across the now lubricated tiles, picking up speed until I could launch myself forward, my body knocking the package free from the vine. It clattered loudly as it bounced over some tiles and became lodged beneath a plastic chair. Huntress let a frown touch her face, but otherwise showed no negative reaction to my interference. Instead, she seemed a bit amused by the effort.

"Trivial setback," she remarked, sending her vine back towards the chair, but I tackled it, pinning the rope-like plant with my body. Huntress chuckled, and as I looked back at her, I saw a vaguely wilder expression take hold of her face, and her calm red eyes bulged gleefully.

I shifted my weight so that I could stand while still holding her vine down, tensing my body for an attack. I didn't have to wait long for the green blade to rematerialize on Huntress' left arm. She dashed towards me, striking fast and hard. I yelped at the first blow, which left a painful, burning gash across my chest. Huntress pivoted her arm and drove the Leaf Blade into my gut, the burning pain forcing me to my knees. The vine I had pinned immediately coiled around my legs like rope, tightening suddenly to send another spasm of pain through me.

The Cubone had gotten back to his feet and had lunged for his property, but Huntress was too fast. While he dodged the first vine strike, she took advantage of the miss, coiling the vine around a chair leg and flinging it after him. He let out a grunt as the blow to his legs sent from sprawling across the tiles.

I jerked my head towards my ankles and bit down with all my strength upon the vine ropes binding my legs, kicking desperately to free myself afterwards. Yet by the time I got to my feet, Huntress was clutching the papered object and swiftly tore the papering off, taking a moment to admire a pale brown rectangle, identical in all ways to the one around her neck. I internally scowled. Brio was right about the collection aspect.

"My hunt is complete, so enough of this foolish fight. I have won, and I will give you this chance to back down," Huntress hissed, brandishing her Leaf Blade. My side throbbed painfully at the mere sight of the weaponized grass energy, and my paws tightened into fists. "Refusal is not an option."

"Hey!" Brio's voice stole the Servine's attention. From where I stood, I could see that his icy fur had bristled into needles reminiscent of a Jolteon's, and the glare he was giving her was like nothing I had ever seen him use before, even when I was annoying him about the library. "Don't you _dare_ threaten Sy!"

"That's sweet, but a better contribution would have been to just shoot an Ice Beam into her face," I pointed out. Brio ignored me, his brown eyes never straying from the Servine's scarlet gaze. She chuckled softly, the Leaf Blade fading away as she took slow, deliberate steps towards the Glaceon. Brio twitched, but stood his ground.

The tense silence was shattered as an orange and black striped canine dashed into the room, fur raised and a threatening growl leaving its throat. "Goldenrod police!" it barked, focusing on Huntress. "Don't even try to-" Huntress responded by slapping him in the face with her vine. Slowly, the Growlithe touched his cheek and inspected the paw. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that," he growled, throwing his head back and letting out an ominous howl.

At once, two uniformed officers burst into the room, accompanied by two adolescent humans, the latter clutching multiple Pokeballs. "Trainers, you are authorized to capture or use any force to restrain the Servine!" one officer barked. "Growlithe, Take Down!"

"Go, Pignite!" one of the younger humans shouted, hurling a red and white sphere forward.

"Pidgeotto!" the second shouted, throwing another Pokeball forward. Huntress' eyes narrowed to scarlet slits and at once, three vines extended from her body, snatching the Pokeballs in midair before they opened, and the third coiled around the Growlithe's throat before he could so much as charge. Shocked cries rose up from the officers and trainers alike.

"I'm finished here," Huntress hissed and slashed her arm forward. The Plate on her chest glowed with a vibrant green light, and a sudden gust of wind seemed to be conjured out of nowhere. Leaf-like particles leapt from her body, becoming absorbed into the gust and expanding, the humans grunting as the tornado surrounded them, sending their hair and clothing fluttering in all directions.

"Don't let it get away!" one of the officers shouted, but just as abruptly as it appeared, the tornado vanished, and Huntress was gone. The unopened Pokeballs thrown by the trainers lay on the ground besides a dazed Growlithe, and I was dimly aware that I tasted leaves that had slipped into my mouth when my jaw had fallen open.

Brio had a troubled expression on his face. He was the only one not looking around the room, but instead, out the door, as if watching a shadow departing. I stumbled over to him, feeling rather dizzy. "What is it?" I asked, spitting out the last of the leaves.

"I'm not sure yet," he said quietly. "C-can we go to the library now? I have a hunch..."


	8. Healing Intermission

As soon as we stepped outside, reluctantly en route to the library, a searing agony tore through my side and I gasped, instinctively clutching my injured gut. It had briefly escaped my attention due to the surge of adrenaline, but now I felt like my side was on fire.

"Sy? Are you okay?" Brio asked, looking back at me with alarm. I cringed, slowly uncovered my injury. The Glaceon's eyes widened and he blew an icy mist over my side. I shuddered at the sudden chill, but gave a nod of thanks as the pain began to recede. "Go to the Pokémon Center, Sy," Brio said seriously.

"What? No!" I whined, my tails thrashing slightly in agitation. There was still the mild burning across my chest, but that wouldn't help my intended argument, and he couldn't easily reach that height to numb it, even if he wanted to.

"Sy, it's not a life-threatening wound, but that's no reason to ignore it," Brio insisted. "You can get it treated better than a partial numbing, and I can take the time to do some research. I can take you there, even." He nudged me firmly with his head, prodding me down one street. I sighed in resignation and let him guide me. I guess he has a point, but I still didn't want to go to a Pokémon hospital. If the library had felt oppressive, how would it feel to have humans everywhere and scrappy Pokémon in various degrees of pain, while nurses poked and prodded to figure out how to make me feel better?

The Pokémon Center itself was a fairly large building with a distinguished red roof and an enormous Pokeball icon at the top. Brio didn't even need to translate the words on the sign, because there was also that red cross symbol that seemed to be associated with medicine and doctors. The doors slid open for us as we approached, and my stomach sank with dread as I found myself inside a wide-open room with numerous humans along the perimeter. Some were reading thin books, others were talking amongst themselves. Very few paid us as much as a glance.

"Okay, I'll be at the library when you're done here," Brio told me. Like I could possibly forget where he'd be. Even if I did somehow forget, it was easy to guess. Brio nudged me again and waved his paw towards one of the Chansey guarding the counter. I sighed, but obediently began walking over to the egg Pokémon, which came forward to meet me. I glanced over my shoulder as I was gently tugged towards one of the side rooms, and saw that Brio had waited a few seconds longer. As I turned the corner into the room, I saw him head out.

The Chansey instructed me to take a seat, and busied herself with a physical examination, which included an uncomfortably thorough session of prodding my stomach and sides, and taking notes on what I could only assume were my reactions. Sure, she was tenderer around the obvious injuries, but that didn't make it any less awkward. I wonder how uncomfortable the male patients get to this sort of thing.

"Dare I wonder what that was for?" I asked, once she concluded that portion. The nurse Pokémon looked up and gave me a heart-warming smile. It'd be more reassuring if she had done that first.

"Sometimes we get Pokémon patients with obvious ailments, like these, but don't realize they also have a concussion or bruised ribs," she explained, inexplicably managing to slip a small rod-like object into my mouth and fitted it under my tongue. I was about to protest, but just as quickly she extracted it, and studied it. "First visit?"

"Huh?"

"Is this your first Pokémon Center visit?" the Chansey clarified, producing a bottle of some sort from hammer space and gently pushing me back so I was laying down. She then hopped up beside me, showing more agility than expected from her body size.

"Um, yeah, I guess," I answered, distracted by the bottle. "And that is...?"

"Prevents infections and speeds up the healing process," the Chansey said absently. Precisely the tone one wants to hear from the nursing staff. "We get wilds coming in here now and then, so this isn't anything new," she said. "Pick a fight with a grass-type?"

"Sure," I answered with a shrug. Really, what else could I say to that without going into unnecessary detail? I've been hurt before, and it healed right up within a couple hours or so. Brio was just worrying, but if doing this would satisfy him, then fine. I made a mental note to insist he got a check-up the next time he got injured.

"Well, it's not that serious," the Chansey said brightly. "A bit of a burn that's seen often in grass-type techniques, especially against water-types. Something like an Energy Ball usually makes that type of damage. Still, better safe than sorry, right?"

"Definitely." Ah, the feeling of hypocrisy is like salt in my mouth. I knew it wasn't serious, and I hadn't wanted to come here to be safe. "Is that it?"

The Chansey inspected the board she had been writing on. Peering over, I saw a small design in the corner that didn't look anything like something pertaining to me. I couldn't get a clear look at it, but the Chansey hastily covered it with a paw, blushing a bit. I have no idea what to make of that reaction.

"Yes, you're uh, free to go. I'd advise resting up for a while," the egg Pokémon answered in a rush of words. "You can stay here for a little longer if you want or need the rest time."

I considered this for a moment, but decided against it. I'd just be sitting here awkwardly while everything else was going on around me. At least outdoors, I could feel the sunshine and walk around at my leisure, even if that walk just meant going back towards the library and finding Brio again.

The Chansey didn't actually wait for my response before ducking out of the room and going about her business. I shrugged and slid off the table and walked after her, taking a moment or two to make sure I was going back the way I came, instead of getting lost inside the halls. How do these Centers manage to even stay in operation, if they don't cost anything and they even take care of wild Pokémon who walk in off the street? Not really something I needed to know, but it had crossed my mind.

I stepped outside and moved away from the doors to accommodate a pair of humans going inside before setting off for the library. Every step I took sent a mild throb of discomfort through me, but the pain was receding and I could ignore it.

"Hey Sy!" Aeris' familiar voice squealed out of nowhere, and I immediately sidestepped to my right, the Gligar's tackle missing me by inches. She tumbled across the ground, and then sat up with a giggle. "Nice one!"

"Thank you, I practice," I remarked. Aeris stifled her grin and stood up, not bothering to brush herself off. A quick glance-over revealed she had her usual layer of dust intact, confirming my assumption that she didn't wash before her date. "So what are you doing here now?" I wondered, glancing around quickly for some sign of her mysterious date.

"I was wondering the same thing, but then I remembered that I'm on a date," Aeris answered, with a mischievous glint in her eye. It took me a few seconds to realize what she said, and after it clicked, it was all I could do to keep from shaking with laughter. That was just the sort of thing I needed to lift my mood.

"So where is your date?" I wondered, looking around again.

"What's this about a date?" a male voice wondered from just behind me. I jumped and turned quickly, nearly slapping a passerby with my tails, this accidental incident thankfully going unnoticed. Hovering a foot or two above my head was a white creature with an egg-shaped body and a pair of wings on its back. Small, colored triangles decorated the main body, and it took me a few seconds before I could safely name its species at that of a Togetic. They're notoriously difficult to find in the wild, after all.

Aeris giggled nervously and waved a claw at the hovering fairy. "Nothing, nothing. Um...this is Sy, that friend I told you about!"

The Togetic gave a blank look. "You...didn't-"

"Yes I did!" Aeris insisted loudly, drowning out the Togetic's protests. "Sy, this is Asgard, the guy I told you about."

"You also didn-"

"Why is everyone against me?" the Gligar whined. I rolled my eyes. So she was just trying to look less thoughtless by acting like she had told the other about us, but clearly that hadn't gone as planned. It would have worked better if she had forewarned us she was going to pull the trick.

Asgard sighed and reduced his flying height by half and extended a paw for me to shake. I nodded and accepted the paw. I immediately picked up that both of us were equally awkward about the situation, which made me feel a little better.

"So...how'd you two meet?" I asked, jerking my head towards Aeris. The Gligar smiled and waved.

Asgard shrugged. "It's not much of a story. We just met this morning. Bumped into each other, quite literally. She was carrying that Plate, dunno if you've seen it, and I asked where she got it. So, she told me this admittedly epic story of how she fought off a bunch of Beedrill."

I nodded. So far that sounded like the same thing Aeris had told me this morning. What I wanted to know now was how that meeting had led to Aeris declaring that she had a date, and why she didn't seem to want to share that terminology with him now.

Asgard paused to think. "Oh right, and then I asked her a little about her battle training, and she said she didn't have that much, but could learn if she wanted to." He chuckled slightly. "So I asked her to meet me later for a quick lunch and further discussion." Something seemed to dawn in his eyes, and he glanced at Aeris, "Oh, that's what you meant by 'it's a date'," he mused. Aeris grinned sheepishly.

"So...it's not a date?" I asked, adding a bit of teasing to my tone.

"I guess it _technically_ is, since I asked her out to lunch and talking," Asgard responded with another shrug. "Mind if I ask what you're doing in the city?" His gaze fell upon my injuries. "Getting into fights or something?"

"Not on purpose," I grumbled. "Ran into a hostile situation. Got my tails handed to me."

"I take it you don't really train much?" Asgard wondered. I shook my head and added a shrug as an afterthought. Battling and fighting had never really been a big deal to me. Sure, I could defend myself from more minor adversaries, but I wasn't ever expecting to have to really fight for territory, since I pretty much let anyone stay in the area if they wanted to, and thus far no one ever felt the need to drive me out afterwards. My place wasn't THAT good.

Then again, Huntress had done some good damage to me while I had done next to nil, if even that. And with the Venomoth's threat hanging over my head, I couldn't afford that to happen again. I bit my lower lip, concern starting to creep back into my mind. If Huntress was that strong, and the lives of me and my friends hung on the outcome of another confrontation, then maybe I couldn't ignore the prospect of training. But three days was such a short time limit...I'd have to spend almost every waking moment hard at work, and even then I'd have to find the Servine again just to test my strength...this was all becoming too much...

"Hey, you okay?" Asgard asked, a look of concern crossing his face. I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded hastily, my tails twitching nervously. What could I do from here? I didn't even know for sure what Brio was looking up, and if it turned out to be a dead end, it'd be more wasted time, time I couldn't afford to lose.

"I, uh... have to go back to the library, see what Brio's doing," I told the Gligar.

"Ooh, we'll go with you!" Aeris chirped. Asgard blinked, but didn't protest the arrangement, as Aeris was already gliding ahead. I shrugged helplessly in respond to his puzzled look and went after Aeris. With luck, Brio had already found something and we wouldn't need to spend too long there.


	9. Return to the Library

It wasn't long before we hit the exact same barrier we had the first time we came to this building: the front door. It stood there, as unmovable as always, and I had already resigned myself to the idea of waiting for a human to come by and open it so that we could go inside. It was a complete mystery how Brio, a quadruped, was able to get in and out of the building without aid.

Aeris tugged on the handle vainly for several moments as I sat on the step. Asgard hovered nearby with a look of obvious confusion on his face, as if he was expecting a joke, but wasn't sure when the punch line was coming.

"Okay, fine, I'll bite," he sighed. "Why aren't we going inside?"

"We can't open the door," I answered, gesturing to the heavy door. The Togetic stared at me, again as if he was expecting one of us to burst into laughter at any moment and confess that we were pulling his leg. "What, you think you can do better?" I challenged, repeating the gesture. "Give it a shot."

Aeris dropped to the ground and moved aside to let the Togetic try. To my tremendous alarm, the fairy Pokémon managed to crack the door open with absolutely no problem. "Um...have you two tried turning the knob?" Asgard wondered uncertainly.

"What does that mean?"

Asgard scratched the back of his head with one paw. "Um...some doors open by turning the handle and then pulling. This is one of them. Door's a bit heavy, but not that much," he added as an afterthought. Brilliant. The only thing that could have made this more awkward was if we had spent several minutes with the door, instead of just a couple.

Needless to say, the Togetic got us inside the library with no further incident, and the entry brought the stomach-churning feeling of oppression and silence, as if every step treaded upon forbidden ground. After this morning, I would not have been surprised if police officers were standing guard, or if the librarian was going to whisper loudly for us to leave. I made a mental note to not talk loudly, lest Brio scold me again.

Thinking of the Glaceon, where was he? This place was deceptively large, with the columns of bookshelves hiding the inhabitants from view, and the ice Eon being small enough that his steps would be muffled, even if he was moving. Aeris looked around enthusiastically, and Asgard was silent, his wings not even making a sound. If anything, that was even more unnerving.

"So what are we doing here?" Asgard wondered abruptly, although his voice had dropped to a whisper that Brio would have deemed appropriate.

"Meeting up with Brio. He's a Glaceon, so tell me if you see him," I responded in a hushed voice. Ugh, it feels so strange to talk like this, and even the whisper seemed uncomfortably loud in this deadly silent environment. I can only pray that I don't get used to it.

"Let's spread out!" Aeris chirped enthusiastically. I cringed, expecting a reprimand for the breach in whispering, but none came. Even Asgard seemed uncomfortable with the volume of the Gligar's suggestion. Without another word, I walked down one row of shelves, peering down each one without results. One or two of the rows did contain a browsing human, but no Glaceon.

I sighed. Did that mean Brio hadn't found any information he was looking for yet? If he wasn't curled up somewhere reading, he may still be searching for the right book. Considering how difficult it was to find specific people in this library, he could be here for weeks looking for something the size of a book, not even counting the time it would take to read them.

Unfortunately, we were on a strict time limit.

"Brio!" I called to the air. There was a stifled growl from a few shelves down. Oh good, I think I found him. Sure enough, the Glaceon's head peered out from behind the shelf ahead.

"Sy..."

"I know, I know. _Be quiet, _bark bark," I said dryly, before he could say anything further. He frowned and I walked over to where he stood. "What'd you find?"

"It was a little harder than I hoped, and you're back sooner than I expected," Brio answered awkwardly, examining the shelves before using a paw to tug a book from its place. He caught the spine of the book in his mouth and set off dutifully towards one of the chairs in the main area. I followed behind him, waiting for him to elaborate on what he was talking about, but none came.

"And what exactly are you looking for?" I pressed. "Does it have something to do with what happened at the post office? That's when you said you had a hunch."

Brio nodded grimly. "I think I know where I can find some background information. It could take me a while-"

"Found him!" Asgard said suddenly. Brio hissed and turned to shoot the Togetic a glare, but I gave him a light slap to the back of the head, which was sufficient to distract him from what he was doing in favor of giving me a shocked look.

"Your blood pressure is going to go through the roof if you keep doing that," I said with a shrug. Asgard and Aeris came over to where we were, and Brio gave Aeris a curious look but chose not to ask why she was there. Probably the best option for now. "You were saying, Brio?"

"Right," the Glaceon muttered. "I'm going to look up some background information on the Plates, see if I can uncover anything about their history and where they might be now. I don't know where Huntress got hers, but the one Aeris took was practically an heirloom, so maybe other clans or groups are treasuring the others."

"I guess it's the best we can do," I said, not really convinced this was the right direction to go. "But what about Huntress herself? We only have three days to..." I trailed off, casting an uncomfortable glance in Aeris' direction. She was watching Asgard with a vaguely dreamy expression, completely oblivious to what I was talking about. That was not going to be a fun conversation to bring up, but I would have to share it with her eventually. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I deliberately withheld the danger from her. Still, I didn't want to touch upon details while Asgard was around. I didn't know him much beyond his name and wasn't comfortable with him hearing everything we were talking about.

Unfortunately, the Togetic was more observant than Aeris. "Three days for what?" he wondered. I winced.

"Nothing important," I answered vaguely. Brio's eyes flicked towards me thoughtfully, something I pounced upon in the hope of changing the subject. "Yeah? What's up?" I asked quickly.

"Hm? Oh, just thinking about how your tails flick to the left whenever you lie."

"Wow, seriously, Brio? Of all the things that could cross your mind at this moment, that was the one you chose to share?" I deadpanned, crossing my arms. "I'd totally ask how you learned that, but I'm not sure if I want to hear the explanation."

"I've been reading up on body language, remember?" Brio said with a shrug.

"Oh, that's right. And secretly measuring my tail lengths," I sighed. Judging by the look on Asgard's face, he was dying to ask for the explanation behind the comment, but was wisely remaining silent. Aeris stifled a giggle.

An awkward silence fell between the four of us, broken only by Brio turning the pages of the book. Aeris moved closer to the Togetic and the two of them engaged in a surprisingly quiet (for Aeris) discussion. The exact topic, I couldn't be sure, but I wasn't bothered enough to ask. I had more pressing things on my mind, namely the sheer fact that Huntress seemed to be an infinitely more competent battler than I was, yet we would be required to confront her again. I wasn't cut out for battling for serious stakes, not without guidance, and while Brio seemed wholly unconcerned with the physical aspect of our little quest, it was nagging at me endlessly.

"Here we go!" Brio whispered, his ears perking up and pointing his paw at a section of the page. "I'll just give you a summary. The Elemental Plates are a set of sixteen stones, each corresponding to a different Elemental Typing, and believed to be have been created and wielded by none other than Arceus."

"Ooh!" Aeris squealed. I said nothing, waiting for Brio to continue.

The Glaceon scanned the page for a few seconds, clearing his throat gently before adding, "According to legend, the Plates were fragments of Arceus' total power, and after fashioning the universe, Arceus released the Plates throughout the world, entrusting them to several legendaries to help the first generation of legends make and maintain their respective realms."

"A common legend," Asgard noted. "And several variations of what became of the Plates afterwards. Some were lost, some were passed to another generation of legend, and some were cherished as sacred items."

Brio seemed surprised. "You've heard of these legends before?"

Asgard nodded. "There are tons of stories about legendaries and their associated artifacts. Half of them are probably false or exaggerated, though. It comes down to spiritual beliefs for some. The Plates do exist, but one legend states that after a few generations, they've run low on power due to being separated from Arceus for so long, so they're no longer divine artifacts, and just relics of the creation myth."

"What about the engraving on the one we found?" I wondered, hoping that by some sheer stroke of luck that Brio had memorized the cryptic message.

"I found it!" Aeris protested loudly. Brio winced, but naturally didn't scold the Gligar for her outburst.

"What engraving?" Asgard wondered. It took a few seconds for us to describe the carvings upon the Plate Aeris had found, and this naturally led to an explanation of what had happened to the Plate since that morning, when the Togetic had last seen Aeris with it. We gave him the shortened version, and I kept my mouth shut about the Beedrill hive and the post office incident.

"But we're going to get it back!" Aeris finished excitedly. It's amazing how Aeris can make me feel guilty even when oblivious to the painful context her statement was providing. We'd definitely get it back...or die trying.

"So Brio, what does that background info do for us? Does it give us anything we need to know how to proceed from here?" I asked flatly.

Brio considered. "I had hoped it would give us a lead. If we're going to get the Plate back, we have to figure out somewhere we can find her. And my only idea is to find a Plate before she does."

"Even if we do that, she'll crush us and take it, just like last time," I complained. "Are any of us actually battle capable on the same level as her?"

"No," Brio conceded.

"I'm battle capable," Asgard said, sounding slightly hurt that none of us seemed to consider this. I rolled my eyes, a sentiment evidently shared by the Glaceon.

"Where did you even come from?" he wondered.

"Ecruteak City, thereabouts," Asgard said promptly. Brio's expression told me that hadn't been what he meant at all, but before he could say so, I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"How battle capable?"

Asgard looked at me strangely. "My mom runs a training dojo almost exclusively for Pokémon, trainers optional. So...I'd like to think pretty good...why, you don't believe me?"

"I don't recall acting skeptical, but you'd certainly...my tails don't give away when I lie!" I said, emitting a quiet growl when the Togetic glanced at them with the air of someone insisting a kit look him in the eye when recanting their fib.

"Not when she's being sarcastic, anyway," Brio muttered.

I sighed and shook my head, rubbing my forehead. Why had such a simple day degenerated into situations like this? "My point is, we can't even beat Huntress in a fight, regardless of whether we can confront her or not. So what do we do?"

"You could get a battle lesson from my mom," Asgard suggested. "Personal recommendation from me, and you can't go wrong with that. I could pull some strings, make it free and whatever else might hold you back."

"Does she normally drop everything she's doing because you ask her to?" I asked, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.

"Not until after I've dropped and given her a hundred," Asgard said. Brio snorted into his paw, staring at the page innocently when we all turned to stare at him. "Come on, what have you got to lose?"

"Time?"

"Well...yeah, I guess...aside from time?"

"Our lives?"

"Never mind, forget I offered," Asgard said, clearly put out by my lack of enthusiasm.

"I want a lesson!" Aeris whined. "Pleeeeease?" Her eyes shimmered hopefully and the Togetic's stern expression softened, followed by a nod. "Sy too?" Aeris asked, not changing her expression. Another nod from the Togetic. "Yay!"


	10. Dojo Visit

"There it is, up ahead!" Asgard announced, to my relief.

We had spent a sizeable chunk of the afternoon walking from the city to wherever this dojo was. From what the Togetic had said before, it stood in the shadow of Ecruteak City, the official name for a neighboring city to the north. Brio and Aeris seemed unfazed by the mention of the city, but I had drawn a blank. My lack of distance travel experience had clearly showed, for not only did I not recognize the city name, but Brio's long explanation about the historical importance of the 'Two Towers' had not cleared up my questions about the city.

Fortunately, Asgard's announcement had snapped Brio from his increasingly long-winded explanation. I can hardly fathom how much time he must have spent studying the city in order to inform me about half the things he had. Asgard and Aeris had not contradicted him at any point, so either they couldn't be bothered or the Glaceon truly was the foremost authority among the four of us.

As we drew closer to our destination, I got a better look at it. It was another building, about the size of Brio's library, but wider and more sheltered by trees, with a winding dirt road leading us to the doors. There were faded stone steps leading to the ornate gate, and as we came nearer, the gates opened of their own accord, letting us access the entryway.

The interior was not as oppressive as the library, but it had a musty smell to it, and the stone walkway was lined by poles with a gentle flame at the top, providing just enough light to not be in absolute darkness. Asgard led the way, his body seeming to shine in the musty darkness. Aeris was next, happily humming to herself as she glided after the floating fairy. Brio and I walked side-by-side, Brio pausing now and then to admire the walls and pillars.

Like the library, I felt inclined to stay as quiet as possible, and my stomach churned a little with each step and turn that we took. Brio seemed more awed than anything, and Aeris seemed excited, so that left me alone to be nervous. I didn't really want to be here, but I couldn't deny that the offer of getting some battle training, however insufficient it had to be, was the best way to use our time until someone came up with a better plan.

Our companions paused at a four-way passageway, Asgard smirking slightly. "Careful now, you might get lost if you stray behind. This dojo's much bigger than it looks, and Mom really never bothered with electric lighting, so you either need me, Mom, or fire to get around easily.

"Wonderful. Lead us to the catacombs next, why don't you?" I muttered. Brio whispered something about a 'cask of something' (no, he did not say 'Something', I just didn't really catch the weird word he said), and then grinned in a genuinely unnerving way. I was going to ask, but thought better of it. Some facial expressions are better off not knowing what triggered them.

After another walk down a passageway, Asgard reached a large door: yellow with red tinges, and some sort of inscription directly above it. Brio took note of the writing, but didn't translate it for me. I would have asked, but Asgard pushed the door and it opened easily at the gentle touch, light exploding all around us like a Flash attack.

I cringed, shielding my eyes and latching one arm around Brio, using him to guide me forward. Fortunately, my eyes adjusted quicker than I had expected, and I could look around the new room. In sharp contrast to the entire rest of the dojo, this room was widely lit, and lined with several statues and glass boxes containing numerous golden objects of varying shapes and sizes. In the center of the room was a dirt field, marking with white lines. But my attention was stolen by the presence of a large, bipedal Pokémon making its way towards the group.

This Pokémon stood at almost twice my height, with flames erupting from a ring around its neck. Its underbelly was tan while the rest of the body was covered in dark blue fur. Fierce brown eyes studied us, and I could swiftly identify it as a female.

"Hey Mom!" Asgard chirped, reminding me of Aeris, an impression quickly supported by the Togetic diving towards the Typhlosion and wrapping her in a tight hug. The Typhlosion smiled and patted the fairy Pokémon once before he dislodged himself from her.

"Um..." Brio began, undoubtedly wondering the same thing I was. "You're his..."

"Adoptive mother," the Typhlosion answered, her voice stern yet not unkind. "A touching story, but for another time, I think. But I think introductions are in order."

"I'm Aeris!" the Gligar said promptly, waving a claw. The Typhlosion's gaze fell upon Brio and he flinched once.

"Brio," he mumbled.

"Speak clearly," the Typhlosion said firmly. The Glaceon nodded and quickly repeated his name, more clearly than the first time, but still quietly. She nodded and turned her gaze to me.

"Syren," I said. Again a nod from the fire type.

"You may call me Sensi," she said, pronouncing it clearly, the flames on her neck crackling loudly and her voice dominantly loud in the silent room. "This is the dojo that I run, as Asgard as likely told you by now."

"Ooh, question!" Aeris said, bouncing on her feet and raising her pincher high, all but flailing for attention. Sensi blinked once, but nodded. "Do any humans come here?"

"Yes, they do," Sensi answered. "I have a protective license to run this dojo as a business. My former trainer had it issued years back. For this reason, I can do business with humans and their Pokémon, as well as independent clients, like you. However, lessons here are considered expensive, and while currency is not necessarily the only form of payment, it is the preferred form."

"Can you toss them a freebie, Mom?" Asgard asked, moving nearer and whispering in the Typhlosion's ear. An awkward silence fell as the two Pokémon talked to one another in voices so soft that I couldn't catch anything. Brio's ear was twitching, but he was frowning, so I assumed he couldn't hear anything, either. Aeris was eyeing the room, and I was starting to worry that she'd interpret the gold objects as treasures she could make off with.

"Interesting," Sensi said, drawing my attention back to her. She examined the three of us with a stern expression. "I should warn you, that I expect full respect from those I train, and that I accept no excuses or slacking. Asgard feels you should receive the benefit of his friendship with you, but if you are not serious, leave now. I will not waste my time for free."

The bluntness of the statement stung me more than I expected it to, but none of us moved, not even Brio, who had been the most reluctant to come in the first place. The Typhlosion continued to gaze at us before nodding.

"Then, we'll get started at once. I have a paying client coming in an hour, so I can cover the very basics until then. Asgard will help coach you."

"Awesome!" Aeris squealed, displaying typical enthusiasm.

Sensi's idea of the basics was not anything to do with battle at all. She had Brio run laps around the field, and for me to run back and forth in a line. Aeris was given an entirely different test of her strength, which had something to do with moving from side to side on reflex. She did not give us a number of laps to do, just to keep doing them.

Needless to say, neither Brio nor I lasted too long, and Aeris herself got pegged a few times when the Typhlosion tested her reflexes. I couldn't tell if the Typhlosion was unhappy or not; her expression was completely serious and stern.

"Go wash up. We'll resume later," she barked and turned away, disappearing from the room. My chest felt like it was on fire, and Brio was panting as if he had just run a marathon, which frankly, he pretty much had. Aeris was wincing a little and rubbing her chest where the fire-type's paw had struck. Asgard flew over to us, grinning.

"That went well," he said, gesturing for us to follow and leading us to the back of the training room, where a second set of doors stood.

"Are...you kidding?" I panted, massaging my stomach with one paw. Ugh, if I have to walk too far, I'm going to die.

"No, it went great," Asgard chuckled. "You guys have no serious battle experience at all, do you?"

"I guess not," I admitted grudgingly. The hall the Togetic led us down was much brighter than the entranceway, and he showed us to a room with a bathing tub.

"That's okay, you still did pretty well," Asgard said brightly. "Okay, here we go. Use this to wash up, and Aeris?"

"Yes?" the Gligar asked enthusiastically.

"Um...Mom's pretty big on cleanliness, so you might want to bathe twice," the Togetic said, in a completely serious tone that seemed to emphasize that he wasn't trying to be mean, but he wasn't kidding, either. Strange type of tone, really. The bat Pokémon frowned a little, but nodded. "Great. When you're done with that, come down this way, and you can find something to eat."

With that, the Togetic exited the room, leaving us to work out bathing arrangements. Due to the general agreement that Aeris needed to spend the most time washing, and Brio wanting to use the least water possible, we had her wash last, with the two of us verifying whether she was clean enough.

It didn't take us long to relocate the Togetic in the neighboring room, where a table covered with a spread of fruit and vegetables stood in the center of the room. Aeris squealed at the sight and flopped down, digging in without any prompting whatsoever. Asgard shook his head, but didn't protest.

It was uncomfortably quiet while we ate. Asgard didn't seem to have much to say, although he complimented how nice Aeris looked with all the dust cleared off. Her normal coloration no longer covered by the dusty brown layer, she seemed almost shiny under the light. Brio and I had taken the time to really scrub her good, and it was great to know it had paid off.

"Can I ask something?" I spoke up, nearly starting the Togetic host when the silence was shattered. He gave a quick nod. "Why did your mom give us free training? What did you say? And for that matter, why did you want us to receive training at all? We just met."

Asgard shook his head. "Mom's doing it because I asked her to. I'm not telling you more than that. And for your training...well, you're at a disadvantage, both with this self-imposed mission and overall. If you don't have battle experience, you don't have a chance against real threats."

"This training can't possibly be enough to beat Huntress," Brio noted, furrowing his brow. "We don't have enough time, and she's had to have trained much longer than we have. She's a Servine, so she's evolved once already."

"So have you," Aeris noted with a giggle.

"Not from training," I corrected dismissively. I paused for a moment. "Wait, how did you evolve?" Even though I knew an Eevee did not become a Glaceon from training in the same way a Buizel became a Floatzel, which still left a location-based mystery that Brio and I had never discussed.

"Not meaning to interrupt, but we're getting sidetracked;" Asgard cut in. "There is something else that factors in. When I first saw you, Aeris, you had one of the Plates, and it's clear now that you are researching them to some extent."

"Only since this morning," I said, shrugging and helping myself to another piece of fruit. I had no idea what the Togetic was getting at.

Asgard heaved a small sigh. "Well...it's too early to explain, I think. Mom should be able to cover it better anyway, and the training room is going to be occupied, so I can't really satisfy your curiosity yet."

Something on the wall chimed and Asgard flinched, glancing at the circular device. A moment later, his attitude shifted and his words came out more rapidly.

"You should rest up. When she's finished with the current client, you guys are back on the roster, and it's no good if you're still drained."

He rose up and floated towards the door, pausing for us to get up and follow.

"I'll show you to your room. This way."


	11. Training Session 1

The room we were given was modest, but enough to accommodate us. The lighting was better than the halls, but dimmer than the dining area. Neither Brio nor Aeris seemed concerned over the details, so I likewise echoed their thanks to Asgard and settled in the best I could. There were two couches here, not as soft as the ones in Brio's library, but not as firm as rock, so again, no complaints from me.

The Togetic then went off for a vaguely defined reason, leaving us to sort out the arrangements. The couches were plenty large for two Pokémon to lie on comfortably, and I chose to share with Brio. He'd be less prone to movement than Aeris, and he was small enough to stay on the opposite side of the couch without crowding me. Aeris had started talking, but I found myself too tired to pay much attention. In fact, I don't remember hearing more than a few words before falling asleep.

What felt like mere minutes, I awoke to a light prod on my shoulder. As much as I liked the Gligar, if this was Aeris, I don't think I'd be able to keep myself from complaining. Really, after all I've been through today, I wanted to sleep. However, it wasn't Aeris or Brio, but Asgard.

"What?" I grunted, cracking one eye open to glance at the hovering Togetic.

"Mom's ready to get back to training," the fairy explained in a whisper. From the nervous way he glanced over at Brio, I assume everyone else was also sleeping. "She wants to take you one at a time to work out techniques on a more focused and personal level. She told me to bring 'the Buizel' first, so that's you..."

I groaned quietly and stretched, weariness still clinging to my body, but I nevertheless rolled myself off the couch and onto my feet. Asgard appeared momentarily relieved at my lack of argument, but the expression vanished in the next instant and he led me dutifully from the room.

Neither of us said a word on the way back to the training room, and I spent the majority of the walk getting my brain to wake up. Normally a good dip in the river was enough to shake off the weariness, but with that option non-existent, I had to do the next best thing, which was spraying my paws with water and rubbing my face.

Sensi was waiting for us, her neck flames crackling loudly in the otherwise silent room. She nodded to me when I came in, and walked forward to greet me. Asgard departed at a single gesture from his mother and I eyed the fire type with a hint of wariness. I had no idea what to expect, and as far as I was concerned, she and Asgard were still complete strangers.

"Syren, correct?" Sensi asked, turning and lumbering back to the other side of the battling field. With her back turned, she couldn't see my nod, forcing me to confirm with a word. "I wanted to take you as the first one-on-one client because you seemed to have the greatest drive of the three of you. Would you agree?"

"What? Um..." I wasn't sure what to say. I suppose Aeris probably didn't take battling too seriously, and Brio was more of a bookworm than interested in battling, but even if that was true, how did she pick up on that, and what would make her label me as being the most driven.

Sensi chuckled. "No need to worry about answering. You see, I came to this conclusion from the brief training exercises I had you do. Your friends all have a fair amount of potential, but how you all handled it was interestingly diverse."

She gestured towards the perimeter of the field and continued, "Your Glaceon friend, Brio, was running these laps and while he did so without protest, his body was not well-equipped for sprints. He is a passive Pokémon, opposed to violence when other methods work better, I think. He was quickly overwhelmed by fatigue."

"So was I," I said, inexplicably defensive of Brio's performance. Sensi chuckled, but pretended like there was no interruption.

"Aeris displayed great flexibility, but has no power behind her. She is speedy and energetic, and has very nice reflexes. But she has a short attention span and was distracted by feints. While I view her as the most capable of handling herself in battle, her interests are not there."

I gave a slight shrug. Why was she telling me her interpretations of my friends? What did this have to do with me being the most driven to learn? I had just been told to run back and forth; that was scarcely different from Brio running laps, and I hadn't even done that well.

The Typhlosion smiled, as if she knew was running through my head. "And then there was you. Your species are naturally more adapted to water environments, so you had the most noticeable disadvantage in what exercise I assigned. Your performance wasn't what I really wanted to examine, though. None of my exercises were crucial beyond getting a read on your strengths and weaknesses."

"I don't follow."

Sensi smirked. "It was something I picked up from your eyes. From the attention and effort you put into something you aren't naturally talented at. Brio and Aeris gave honest effort, but you really put yourself on the line. So I want to ask you something: What are you here for?"

I blinked, my tails flicking self-consciously. I knew the main reason I was here...didn't I? As I considered the best approach to the question, I felt a cold shiver on my spine. I could practically feel the pressure that the Venomoth had placed on me, with the grand obstacle of Huntress' overwhelming strength before me. How were we supposed to fight a Servine that had not only outmatched a large group of Beedrill, but was nearly unstoppable in personal combat? I had seen firsthand what she was capable of, and that couldn't possibly be her full power...

"No need to answer yet," Sensi said. "I want to consider that as we work on this. See if you can find what drives you to succeed."

"Great," I answered, masking the flatness in my voice the best I could while keeping that tiny hint of displeasure. There's no point in being sarcastic if no one notices. "So what are we doing?"

"With some consideration, I decided to train you in a more speed-based combat style," Sensi replied. "Many view it as an unexpected style for your species, but one they can adapt to quite impressively. It is efficient and compensates for a lack of power."

"I thought the species did have a lot of power," I said, furrowing my brow. Okay, so I had no idea how strong my species was supposed to be. That's what I get for never really having any role models or guardians in my species line.

"Floatzel have power. Buizel not so much. If I can teach you to be hard to hit in battle, power can come in time," the Typhlosion explained. I nodded. That at least made some sense. Sensi smiled at me, gesturing for me to take my position across from her. Not that I really needed to be told, but I backed up a few paces, watching the fire-type.

"How exactly do I learn speed?" I wondered. She was acting like she expected me to fight her, and there was simply no chance I could handle a battle like that. She had to be in a league exceeding Huntress, and as the Servine was vastly stronger than me, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be learning here.

"Through evasion," Sensi answered, smirking as the flames around her neck flared up stronger than ever. She extended a paw and a sphere of flame appeared within it. "These are low power fireballs, but I expect them to still sting significantly, even to a water-type."

"Are you serious?" I demanded, eyes widening. "You're going to throw fireballs at me?"

"Yes. My training is not for the faint of heart, but I am pleased to admit that I don't put my students through hell," Sensi said. "You may use any means you deem appropriate to dodge or otherwise neutralize the threat. Once you have the hang of that, I will put a bit more spin into it. Are you ready?"

"I gue-" the word wasn't even out of my mouth before the fireball was racing towards my head. I yelped and ducked down, the sizzling sphere flying just above my ear. Before I could even get my bearings back, a second ball of flame was forming in the Typhlosion's paw and heading towards me. This time I jerked to the side, nearly falling over in my desperation to avoid the scorching sphere.

And yet another came speeding my way before I could get my balance, but this one glanced my shoulder, sending a white-hot flare of pain through the shoulder. I yelped, my paw clutching the burn, my eyes watering from the burning feeling running down my arm. Sensi observed me passively, her expression unreadable. I growled under my breath, getting up and glaring at her.

"You allowed yourself to be pushed into a corner almost immediately. It was only a matter of time before I'd bypass your crazy maneuvers. Something to remember, Syren, is that desperation is predictable. I knew which direction you'd move and what your options would be," Sensi said, her voice booming in the empty room.

I didn't answer, turning my head and spraying my burned shoulder, clenching my fist as the water agitated the burn. It'd be fine in time, but it hurt. I don't know if that was the entire point of the training: to use pain as a learning experience, but I had an uneasy feeling that this wasn't going to be the only burn I'd pick up today.

* * *

><p>I'm not sure exactly how long Sensi put me through my paces before calling a halt, but it was a stop I was beyond relieved to have. Several other burns had made their marks upon my fur and I was exhausted from all the running, ducking and dodging. I had started to get the hang of avoiding the fireballs, but Sensi had changed things around a few times by trying to move closer and strike me with her paw. Supposedly the lesson was that projectiles weren't the only dangerous attack in combat.<p>

"You're doing well, Syren, and I think we can call it a day for you," Sensi said, settling down and studying me with an intense gaze. I just nodded, wincing from the plethora of mild burns. "Asgard can get you some ointment for those burns, if you want. I keep a stock for all my pupils."

As if on cue, the Togetic appeared at my side, startling me. I quickly nodded my approval. Any sort of relief for these burns that wouldn't require a long healing period was preferred.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Syren," Sensi told me. "Asgard, after you attend to her burns, kindly call the Glaceon, Brio, for his training session."

"Okay, Mom," Asgard said, already flying to the door. With another nod to the Typhlosion, I followed him from the room.


	12. Second Morning

Who'd have thought that after such a trying day that sleep would be so hard to come by? Even returning to the couch with my mind and body exhausted, rest seemed determined to avoid me. Brio had left with Asgard for his training, leaving me and the sleeping Aeris alone in the room. The only sound was that of the Gligar's steady breathing and the occasional murmur in her sleep, yet I couldn't relax. It was so much easier to sleep before the training, but now I was wide awake.

Worse yet, my mind was prone to moving towards deeply unsettling thoughts and images whenever I closed my eyes, whether it be the imagined proximity of the Venomoth's spores, or the psychotic glint in Huntress' eyes when we had last fought. And now I had started to wonder about that Cubone she had attacked, and whether he actually played a real role in this situation. He had been picking something up when she had confronted him, and now he'd have to return home with injuries and his belongings gone.

Strange for me to focus on such things now. Seeing sleep as impossible, I shifted my position, sitting up as comfortably as I could manage and resting my chin on the couch arm, staring at a spot on the wall.

Huntress...who exactly was she? If she was after those Plates, what purpose did they have to her? How did she know where to find them? The one Aeris had found, Huntress had been after almost immediately afterwards, and tracked the Gligar to the library in such a short time. And then later, we met again in time to see her snatch a second from an innocent who just happened to have one. Something wasn't right about that Servine, and for all I knew, she would soon disappear entirely, impossible to find before our time was up.

I shut my eyes, fighting the onrushing feeling of panic. What I would give to be Aeris right now, to not have to deal with the crushing consequences of my actions, at least mentally. Brio and I were shouldering the burden and stress until we found a way to break the news to her. I have no idea how long I can manage to keep it in like this.

"You okay, Sy?" Aeris' voice suddenly came out of nowhere and I flinched, opening my eyes and looking over at the Gligar. I hadn't noticed until now that her sleep sounds had stopped, nor had I noticed that she had come over to the couch and sat down on the other side. I gave a weak smile.

"Um, yeah...can't sleep," I said wearily. Aeris returned my smile and moved closer, to the point of practically cuddling.

"You know what I do when I can't sleep?" Aeris said, her voice pleasantly soft and quieter than normal. I shook my head. "Guess!" Aeris insisted, stifling a giggle.

"Aeris..." I wasn't in the mood for guessing games. They were fun when I wanted to find amusement, but there was just too much on my mind for that.

"I think of everything that makes me happy," the Gligar blurted over my weak protest. I didn't reply, yet she smiled and snuggled against my side, now speaking in an even softer tone. "I close my eyes, and I think of stuff like how my treasures shine in the moonlight...or the smell of dirt after a rainstorm, or just gliding off a tree and that awesome moment when you drift like a dandelion seed..."

I couldn't resist a smile at the imagery. Aeris rested her head on my shoulder.

"And I think about how nice you are, and how much I like talking to you, because it's so hard to find a friend like you, Sy," Aeris continued, in the same tone. I suddenly felt my throat close up, making it difficult to reply. She seemed oblivious to my reaction, looking up at me for a moment. "Close your eyes, Sy!" she giggled. "How are you going to sleep if you don't do that? Just let me talk to you, and tell me when you're asleep, okay?"

I nodded, closing my eyes and allowing the Gligar to chatter on about other things that made her happy and helped her sleep, whether it be her favorite food, or funny things she'd seen or done in the past. All the time, she kept that oddly soothing, gentle voice that was so unlike her usual excitement, without losing any of her bubbly-ness.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but the next thing I knew, it must have been several hours later. Brio had evidently returned from his training, seeing as he was laying on the opposite end of the couch, and Aeris wasn't even in the room, no doubt called for her own training session. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, blinking in the dim light. I was far more adjusted to morning sunlight than artificial lighting.

"Good morning," Asgard said. I twitched, looking up to see the Togetic hovering in the doorway. Brio stirred, his ear twitching before he opened his eyes to look over at the fairy Pokémon. "I hope you slept well. Mom wants you two to come to the training room after breakfast."

"Ugh, why?" I grunted. I was already feeling the soreness setting in from all the exertions yesterday.

"Don't worry, it's not for training. She's got another client this morning," Asgard assured me.

"Does she sleep at all?" I wondered flatly. So far, starting from meeting Sensi, she seemed to be training someone at all hours of the day, emphasized with how she did a private session with me, Brio, and Aeris in succession.

Asgard frowned. "Mom's sleeping habits aren't really your business," he said, in a tone so defensive I hastily backpedaled.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to pry, take it easy," I said, shaking my head and looking over at Brio. The Glaceon yawned and sat up. A quick glance over showed that he had received fewer burns to his fur than I had, and the ones he had didn't seem to be causing him abnormal discomfort. Lucky him.

Asgard didn't say another word to us, and went off to do his own thing, whatever that may be, leaving the two of us to navigate the hall back to the dining area, where Aeris was already waiting.

"Hi!" she chirped, her mouth already packed with berries. "Sleep better, Sy?"

"Hm?" Brio looked at me curiously, but I shook my head. I'm not going to go into details about my sleep problem last night. I shared a brief smile with Aeris and focused on the food.

After eating, the three of us gathered in the brightly lit training room. Sensi was already waiting for us, her fire mane blazing strongly, her eyes as alert and stern as when we first met her. Maybe she was immune to the requirements of sleep, because otherwise I simply can't figure out how she has so much energy and yet such a busy schedule.

The Typhlosion cleared her throat the moment we had entered. "I see you got the message. Good, good..." she paused to assess our physical conditions and I glanced myself over self-consciously. I hadn't bathed like I normally do in the morning and had attempted to compensate with a bare-bones grooming job, but now I wasn't sure how well I had done.

"I'm here now, Mom," Asgard announced from the Typhlosion's left shoulder. She nodded.

"So I have a client in a short bit, and during that time, I thought you might want to take the time to study your own techniques for us to go over at noon," Sensi said. She gestured in Asgard's direction. "If you require anything, Asgard specializes in technique training, so he can certainly assist with any minor fixes and advice. While staying here, do not feel limited to training only when I am available. Any questions?"

She paused to glance around at us for a few seconds. Aeris raised a claw excitedly. "Ooh! I do! Um...where do we go for this?" she wondered.

"This is the main battle hall," Sensi replied, gesturing around the field. "This is where most of my past achievements are recorded and trophies kept, but it is not the only training ground we have. Behind the building is a smaller field if you prefer to practice in an outdoors environment, and Asgard can show you to the secondary hall, which is nearer to the entrance. That hall is the one I'd most recommend. Anything else?"

Brio raised his paw, and Sensi pointed to him. "Yes, um..." he paused, shifting his weight briefly. "Is there a history with most of these awards?" he asked, pointing to the nearest display case.

"Of course. That can't be all you're wondering, though," the Typhlosion answered with a slight frown.

"Well, no," Brio admitted. "I was just asking because there are a lot of them here, but I'm not sure what they're from. Why do you have them here?"

"When I began this dojo, my former trainer left me many of them as mementos. They were earned while under his care, from various tournaments or events throughout our career," Sensi said, her tone stern, yet wistful. "They add credibility and remind me to continue training myself to become even stronger alongside my pupils. If there is a specific award you'd like to ask about, please do so when we meet later. I don't have the time for reminiscing right now."

The Typhlosion paused to catch my eye, but I shook my head, my tails twitching awkwardly. Why did I have to be the only one without a question? It made me look disinterested...oh, what do I care? I'd just take this time to train a little before noon, and see where that got me.

The battle hall Asgard led us to was nowhere near as spacious or as well-decorated as the first one, but it was definitely going to suit our purposes, even if there were three of us training at the same time. Considering that Brio had brought a book, I somehow doubted that'd ever be the case.

"Seriously, Brio?" I deadpanned when the Glaceon settled down on the ground and began turning pages distractedly. "What are you doing?"

"Reading," the ice type answered. Hm, at least he knows how to state the obvious. I waited a moment for elaboration, but he was oblivious to the expectation until I cleared my throat. "Oh! Uh..." he paused to check the front cover. "Battle Training for the Sufficiently Intelligent Life Form."

"What?"

Brio grinned. "It's deliberately titled that way to contrast the 'For Idiots' series."

I frowned. That didn't clear anything up, but I don't think I really wanted the longer version of the explanation. Talking to Brio about his reading always ended with awkwardness when I ran out of questions that didn't make me sound moronic. I learned that the hard way when I first met him. Thinking of something else to say, I looked over at Aeris, who had gone over to the center of the battlefield, and was excitedly gesturing for Asgard to come over.

"So what are you reading about?" I managed finally. Brio's eyes flicked towards me and I detected a hint of annoyance in his glance. I crossed my arms and stared at him. He almost never became openly snippy, but it was always really easy to notice that he hated being distracted while he was reading.

"The book was written to teach human trainers how to command their Pokémon. I'm studying it for ideas on how to cut out the trainer commands and just do similar training on my own," he answered, sounding a little too reluctant to elaborate for me. Naturally, this only made me more interested.

"Can you read to me?" I asked, adding a teasing tone to my words just so he'd know I wasn't serious. This was probably a good idea because the Glaceon bristled, only to calm down a moment later. "Whoa, I was kidding, Brio."

"I know," Brio muttered, turning a page. I watched him for a few seconds, intrigued by his paws managed to support the book while still turning the thin pages without damaging them. Obviously, he had practice with doing this. Losing interest with the Glaceon's reading, I returned my focus to Aeris and Asgard. They were talking in low tones, and Asgard broke off when he saw me coming over.

"We'll see later," he told Aeris, looking a little uncomfortable with my proximity. "Did you need something, Syren?"

"Not really, I felt like invading your personal space for my own amusement," I said brightly. "Aeris, you busy?"

"Nope!" Aeris chirped, gigging at my comment. Asgard just looked puzzled, but he suddenly froze, cocking his head to the side.

"Excuse me a moment, please," he said, exiting the room abruptly. I glanced after him before fixing Aeris with a curious look.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Guess!"

"No," I answered, as flatly as possible. Aeris' grin faded, and I felt a jolt in my stomach at the shift in her attitude. Maybe I was a little too harsh, but I really just wanted a straight answer this time around.

"Fine, don't guess," Aeris pouted, pivoting to face away from me. The whole silent treatment act would have worked better if she didn't glance back to judge my reaction. There was a moment of tense silence before the Gligar giggled. "I asked for another date!"

"And?"

"He said he'd think about it. Something about being busy for his mom. He was kind of vague," Aeris replied brightly, but she shrugged her wings. "I think he likes me!"

I think she's assuming too much, but I wasn't going to say that out loud. "Awesome, good luck with that. So what now, you want to practice with me for a bit?"

Aeris blinked. "Oh, sure! What do you need?"

"A target," I replied. I gave her a second or two to realize what I said before playfully blasting her in the face with a jet of water, with just enough force to knock her backwards. The drenched Gligar coughed, and then burst into a fit of giggling.

"That's cheating!" Aeris protested through her giggles. I grinned in spite of myself, inhaling as if to blast her with another jet, but she rolled backwards onto her feet and dove out of the way. Even when I adjusted my aim, she managed to keep one move ahead, gliding back and forth to distract my shots whenever possible. I could see why Sensi considered her good at evasion.

I had just remembered the Typhlosion's comment about Aeris being susceptible to feints when I felt a sudden chill down my spine, prompting a yelp of alarm from me and a reflexive swipe of my tails in that direction before I swiveled to fact the source. I expected Brio to have snuck behind me to play a trick like that, despite the fact Brio had never done anything like that before, but what I saw instead was...absolutely nothing.

"Wha-?"

"Over here," an unfamiliar feminine voice said to my left. I jerked my head in that direction, but also came up with nothing. "Oops, I meant here." My third change in position yielded the same results as the first.

"Who's doing that?"

There was a giggle and a white shape literally appeared out of thin air. I blinked and recoiled a pace, taking in the physical features of the other Pokémon. A hovering shape, somewhat doll-like in appearance, with pale green eyes peering behind an icy mask of a face, and a flowing lower body with no legs. A bow was tied around its midsection, and its limbs were as flowing as the rest of the body.

"And...I have no idea what you are," I said finally. Aeris giggled behind me, but I ignored it.

The creature held out a paw and I hesitantly extended my own arm to shake, only for the paw to pass right through her body, as if it were not flesh, but rather a shapely fog, and the touch was even colder than ice. I recoiled with a yelp, shaking my paw and staring with wide eyes at the creature.

The creature giggled, delighting in my alarm and unease. Her green eyes stared into mine, dramatically increasing my sense of discomfort.

"My name..." she cooed, the eyes seeming to draw me deeper into them with each word, "...is Tamashii."

"You're a Froslass," Brio said, the suddenness of his voice snapping me from the mild daze that had come over me. I shook my head, then nodded, then shook my head again, dispelling whatever fogginess had lingered.

"Am I?" Tamashii asked with false surprise. One of her paws rubbed her chin. "I guess I am. Thanks for clarifying that." She giggled, pausing when a chime rang. "Whoops, can't be late for my appointment, can I?"

With that, she disappeared from the room.

"Sy, you okay?" Aeris asked suddenly. I nodded, but the room seemed to be swaying a little bit.

"I just need to sit down," I muttered, falling backwards into a sitting position. "I'll be okay...just need a rest. Really tired..."

And then I was out like a light.


	13. While Syren's Napping

**This chapter gave me tons of trouble. I realized too late that I had left myself with a narrative problem last chapter, and then a mix of poor attention span, constant rewrites, school and holidays kept interfering. As a result, I'm not the happiest with this chapter, but I figured that giving it a push and letting it stick was a better idea than being stuck for another month. I'm always too critical with my stuff, anyway.**

**Merry Christmas/alternative holiday and Happy New Year!**

Sensi waited in the main battle hall, the crackling of her flame collar the only indication of her impatience. Patience had long been the virtue that eluded her the most, try as she might to suppress and conceal it from those she interacted with. Back when she was a simple Cyndaquil, her tendency to rush her opponents in battle had caused innumerable losses and endless frustration for her trainer, as supportive as he remained.

A wistful smile flashed across the Typhlosion's face and she shook her head slightly. It had taken a lot of work and special training to curb the reckless style, and even though it was far from easy, the results were well worth the effort. Evolution to Quilava was the first true mark of her progress, and larger scale battles eventually followed.

Still, waiting for her clients was more than a lesson in patience. It was a greater inconvenience, and a disrespectful waste of her time. If clients showed up late, they seemed to expect the full session despite the tardiness, and doing so often kept a punctual client waiting, even for a few minutes, and that kept the cycle of tardiness going until her lunch break. If she wanted to re-synch the schedule, she had to cut it from her personal time, and there was no way that was fair to her.

To add another layer of annoyance, her current appointment was with one of her most difficult clients. It wasn't so much that Tamashii was difficult to train or had trouble with basics like some of her other clients did, but rather the Froslass lacked any sense of self-control, and her powers were still well beyond her ability to handle them. Sensi was willing to pin the blame for tardiness on a lack of social manners, but that didn't excuse how annoying it was to have her time wasted.

A subtle change in room temperature swiftly snapped Sensi's attention back to the doors in time to see the icy ghost phase through the wood as if it didn't even exist and float towards the center of the hall.

"You're late, Tamashii," Sensi noted, her tone neither angry nor accusing, but a cold statement of fact. The Froslass giggled, placing a paw before her mouth in what she undoubtedly hoped was a gesture of innocent apology. Sensi was unfazed. "Punctuality is a key virtue to have. Make more effort to be on time, please."

"Of course," Tamashii said sweetly. "I just stopped by your guests. I didn't know you were still taking on new students..." she trailed off, her green eyes flicking inquisitively to meet the Typhlosion's. Sensi dulled her gaze, focusing on the space directly between the Froslass' eyes.

"I'm not. They are not expected to become long term clients," she replied, keeping the explanation simple and to the point. A common rule with her was to avoid discussing details about her other clients with another, barring specific circumstances where elaborating on information was crucial to the lesson that needed to be established, and this was usually done with permission.

"Really?" Tamashii mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She giggled mischievously after a moment. "Shame, they looked like they have potential. Guess you don't want to chat about that, though..."

"Not particularly," Sensi agreed. "Speaking of potential, you should be returning my loaner today, yes?"

Tamashii winced, but extended her paw. A sphere of light formed in the palm of the Froslass' paw, expanding until the light faded from around the object, a red rectangular stone. Sensi observed the action with genuine fascination.

"I've always wondered how ghosts do that," she mused aloud, stepping nearer and taking the stone with great care. "But in any case, what did he need to borrow it for?"

Tamashii shrugged and giggled. "Dunno, didn't ask. But I guess it wasn't what he was looking for, because he didn't have any problem giving it back."

"Good. I don't particularly like loaning my things to people, even on the recommendation of someone I trust," Sensi said, walking over to one of the many trophy cases, lifting the case and placing the stone inside, at last turning back to the Froslass. "Have you been keeping up with your exercises?"

"Of course," Tamashii giggled, pretending to be offended. Sensi didn't crack a smile and the Froslass' amusement faded. "Yes, I have," she answered more soberly.

"Excellent. Then we can proceed with today's lesson," Sensi said, walking to one side of the battlefield. Tamashii giggled and floated to the side opposing the Typhlosion. She pointed one paw dramatically towards Sensi, and the other one doing likewise, but held above and behind her head, like a magician about to cast a spell. Sensi raised an eyebrow slightly, but chose not to comment.

However, they barely progressed past the warm-ups when Asgard entered the room, his wings twitching in awkward agitation. Sensi raised a paw to call a halt and the two of them turned to face the Togetic.

"Did you need something, Asgard?" Sensi asked sternly. It didn't need to be explained aloud what he was supposed to be doing, or more importantly, why he was supposed to keep his distance during training periods if he was actively playing a role in the client's training. Therefore, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that whatever had brought him here was important enough to pay attention to before admonishing him.

"Yes, actually," Asgard said, coming up to her shoulder so that he could speak more discreetly. "My understanding is that Tamashii stopped by Aeris and her friends, and after she left, Syren became fatigued. The other two are concerned about her health, and I'm doing what I can to try to reassure them, but I'm not sure what..." he trailed off helplessly, glancing at Tamashii with a casual smile. The Froslass waved lazily, confirming she probably hadn't guessed she was the subject of the conversation.

Sensi frowned slightly. Tamashii admitted dropping by the other guests, but hadn't elaborated very much about what she had said or done in their presence. Even so, she had a pretty good idea what was at the root of the problem.

"Would I be correct in assuming they followed you back here?" Sensi asked. Asgard looked blank, but then turned towards the door and fixed it with a vaguely annoyed look. There was a quiet squeal from behind the door and Asgard groaned. Sensi chuckled quietly, raising her voice. "Come in!"

There was a noticeable pause in sound, and then Aeris bounced through the door, pausing to assist the Glaceon with walking in and supporting a sleeping Buizel. Sensi raised an eyebrow. Why had they carried her all the way back here? Then again, leaving her behind would hardly have been courteous.

"Watch her head," Sensi called sternly as the Glaceon stumbled. Aeris squealed and made to support the Buizel's head. "Just...just set her down," the Typhlosion sighed, shaking her head. Brio fixed Tamashii with what could only be interpreted as a passive death glare, which she replied to with an innocent smile.

"What did you do to her?" Brio burst out, his fur bristling.

"Me? What do you mean?" Tamashii cooed, floating nearer, but stopping when Brio growled. It wasn't a particularly aggressive sound, but nevertheless effective in getting his mood across to the Froslass.

"It _could_ just be a coincidence, but I don't buy it," Brio answered. "And dismissing it as a coincidence and playing the skeptic doesn't get us anywhere. So I'm going to confront the issue and get answers that way."

There was an awkward pause from everyone present. It didn't seem to be the kind of silence where no one understands the speaker, but more in the vein that everyone was taking a moment to question whether the speaker had any idea how weird he sounded, and yet it didn't seem like an appropriate time to actually point it out.

"Anyone else feel like Sy was supposed to say something there?" Aeris chirped. Brio blinked at her and she shrugged. "Just breaking the tension."

Brio stared at the Gligar for a moment or two longer before seeming to remember he was accusing the ice ghost. He glanced over at the sleeping Buizel, then back at Tamashii. "So what'd you do to her? And if you didn't do it, who or what did?"

"I don't follow," Tamashii said sweetly, her green eyes widening innocently, but her mouth kept twitching into a mischievous smile, which only seemed to agitate Brio, try as he might to remain still and calm. "I was just talking to you guys, seeing what you were doing. The usual clients are so exclusive...you could wait weeks before getting an interview, much less a lesson," she said, giggling.

Sensi fought the urge to sigh, instead sharing a look with Asgard, who nodded blandly in response. Tamashii was precisely the type of Pokémon that Sensi had created her filtering system for. If it weren't for a personal recommendation, she'd have preferred Tamashii to have been trained by someone more knowledgeable of ghost training, especially since there was said to be an expert in just the nearby city. Tamashii had little control over her powers and her personality and behavior were unstable at times. There was little doubt this had been caused by her method of evolution, as a Froslass was the sole species in existence that evolved from a formerly living creature to a ghostly existence.

"What does that have to do with Sy?" Brio asked, calming down enough to look mildly bewildered. Aeris, in turn, was losing the playful demeanor and examining Syren's sleep with increasing concern.

Sensi cleared her throat. "At this rate, it may be more beneficial to both of us if we rescheduled your session, Tamashii. Tardiness and interruptions are already taking their toll on today's schedule."

The Froslass frowned. "How long would it take to be squeezed in again?" she asked, but Aeris stomped her foot on the ground. It lacked the force to have any significant impact outside of being a gesture, but both Sensi and Tamashii paused to glance at her.

"She needs to answer his question!" the Gligar said, crossing her arms defiantly.

"She'll be fine," Sensi assured Aeris. "If you can excuse me a moment, I can get you two up to speed...with Tamashii's consent, yes?" she glanced sternly towards the Froslass.

"Oh please, he's a skeptic," Tamashii said lazily, waving an arm towards Brio. "I could show him much easier."

Sensi stiffened. "I don't think that would be-"

"Show what?" Brio asked blankly. Tamashii giggled and floated nearer, prompting the Glaceon to tense, his icy fur bristling into needles.

"Relax, won't hurt you," Tamashii cooed, lowering herself to eye level. "Look in my eyes; do I look like a liar to you?" The Glaceon instinctively flicked his gaze to meet hers and then stopped, his gaze becoming slightly unfocused. Aeris tensed, readying her pincers to strike. "You feel...lost, drifting away now...so unfocused and distracted," Tamashii cooed.

"That's enough!" the Typhlosion interjected sharply. The Froslass blinked, but promptly withdrew from Brio, who shook his head and scowled.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"I took you for a know-it-all at a glance, but now I see it better," Tamashii mused, wiggling one paw happily. "I guess I wasn't that far off. Love the books, fascinated by the worlds they show."

"Wha-?"

"Your Buizel friend is a passive romantic. Loves the attention, but can't bond with many. Shame, really, she's easy on the eyes and knows it, yet so humble," Tamashii continued, sounding like a schoolchild who had known more on the material than necessary, and eager to show it off to the class.

Brio frowned, mulling the statements over. "You can read minds through eye contact?"

"Close enough," the ghost giggled.

"She is harmless," Sensi assured the Glaceon and the yet-to-relax Gligar. "Or, more accurately, she is not malicious. Syren will be fine, but your concern is understandable and the situation is not being taken lightly."

"Are we still rescheduling?" Tamashii wondered. Sensi sighed softly. It was quite the challenge to balance her emotions and the methods of venting, and the complications that Tamashii herself had created were not helping matters.

"I think that we-" the Typhlosion paused abruptly. "Asgard...?"

"I heard it," Asgard responded. "Were you expecting anyone at this time?" Sensi shook her head, a slight frown creasing her expression. "Oh...maybe a new client? You do have a reputation in the city."

"I'll check for you," Tamashii offered. Before anyone could reply, she disappeared from the room. In the time it took for the other Pokémon to exchange looks, the Froslass reappeared with a dramatic flourish. "It's just a Servine. No human trainer, but she seems to know her way around," she said.

"She?" Brio repeated, sitting up abruptly. Aeris looked at him blankly, and Sensi considered the information. "Did she have..." he gestured towards his chest. "...something there?"

"I said she's a Servine, _not_ a human," Tamashii said mischievously. Further elaboration could not be gained before the door was pushed open and a bipedal green lizard Pokémon stepped into the room, Sensi recognizing that Tamashii had identified it correctly.

The Servine paused, scarlet eyes sweeping the room, pausing on Brio and Aeris. The calm composure of the lizard faltered. Aeris took note of the green stone tied around the Servine's chest, and immediately leapt up, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Why are you always around?" the Servine demanded of the Glaceon. He gazed back at her uncomprehendingly. Sensi could almost feel the tension gathering in the room.

"Hold on, everyone," she ordered, stepping forward, the flame mane crackling loudly to add to the forcefulness of her command. "Who are you?" she asked of the newcomer.

The Servine twitched, but her gaze shifted to Sensi, making eye contact without hesitation. There was a dominant sense of confidence in the gaze, but the Typhlosion was unintimidated.

"I am Huntress," she said curtly. Asgard flinched, sudden concern and realization mixing on his face, but Sensi had something better to worry about.

"And what did you want?" the Typhlosion asked, without losing the force in her words. With Brio and Aeris clearly on edge around the grass Pokémon, she needed to stay in control of the situation in case a fight was going to break out under her nose. They were already a bit scrappy due to Tamashii, and it would not do to let impulse and emotion override logic.

Huntress smirked, her scarlet eyes flicking towards Brio and Aeris before returning to meet Sensi's gaze. "In present company, it's hardly a secret, so let's go straight to bargaining." She paused to tap the green tablet dangling at her chest. "You have one of these interesting little Plates, and I'm here to add it to my collection."

Sensi's eyes narrowed. "Where did you get that?" she demanded suspiciously. The Servine raised an eye scale inquisitively. "That's a Meadow Plate, and the only one I've ever seen in my life belonged to a friend of mine. We won them in a tag-team tournament some years ago."

"I know. My presence is no coincidence. Yet judging by this room and your reputation, I daresay you cherish your Plate with undue sentimental value," Huntress said softly, waving a paw derisively at the trophy cases. "Let us be done with the unprofitable small talk. If you won the Plate in battle, then it will be seized in the same manner!"

A crude challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. Sensi studied the Servine carefully for several seconds, judging what she could from the Servine's demeanor and tone. The sense of self-confidence was overwhelming, but another flavor could be detected, far subtler. Huntress was battle-hungry and her manner reflected her thirst clearly. There was no backing away from the conflict, and only one answer suited the situation.

"As you wish," Sensi stated coolly. "But you're on my turf, so I set the rules of combat. It is a strict single match, you against me. The first to be rendered unable to continue is the loser, and her opponent is declared the winner. We will wager my Flame Plate against your Meadow Plate, and those are the only foreign items you may use. The winner claims both prizes. Obviously, only non-lethal attacks and strategies are permitted."

Huntress snickered. "You have so many advantages, but I agree. The huntress shows no fear to her prey." She flicked her paw, extending a green blade of energy and assuming a battle stance.

"Mom...be careful," Asgard warned nervously.

"I never drop my guard, no matter the opponent," Sensi reminded him. "If you could referee the match, that would be most helpful. The rest of you, stay out of the way."

There was a moment of reluctant assent, and the other Pokémon backed away from the center battlefield, allowing Huntress to step into the ring.

"Unless you have something dramatic or conclusive to say, perhaps we should get started," Huntress suggested, after several seconds of just sizing each other up. Asgard flushed and waved his paw to signal them. "That's better," she snickered.

Huntress wasted no time, darting forward with impressive speed, her Leaf Blade poised to strike. Sensi did nothing, not even as the Servine passed within striking distance. The first Leaf Blade was aimed for a crude slash across the Typhlosion's midriff, but she deflected it with a forepaw, gaining a mere scratch on her paw instead of a more serious cut. The sudden shift in momentum caused Huntress to lose her footing, and Sensi slammed her other paw into the Servine's chest, the paw erupting with fire before impact.

The force of the blow sent Huntress tumbling backwards like a rag doll, burn marks forming on the scales that had not been shielded by the Meadow Plate itself. Sensi did nothing to gloat, nor did she drop her guard. She calmly observed the fallen Servine, the flames on her paw simmering down. Brio winced, but didn't comment.

"That was…clever, I'll give you that," Huntress hissed, leaping to her feet nimbly, her red eyes alight with frustration. A pale green aura surrounded her body, although the Meadow Plate itself did nothing. Brio did a double take.

"Did she really take that much damage?" he wondered aloud, albeit in a whisper to Aeris.

Huntress chuckled, brandishing her Leaf Blade. "The hunt is just getting interesting. Don't disappoint me."


End file.
